HOTD, The American Front
by Jack Cross
Summary: Washington D.C. burns, the U.S. Army and the Dead fight in Times Square, its the war to end all wars: The War of the Dead. OC requested, forms are inside.
1. OCs

Well I noticed that every other story is a "submit your own OC" so I figured what the hell. So anyway here are the requirements for the OCs.

1: Absolutely no superpowers, anything seemingly supernatural and your OC is disqualified. Skills such as free running however are allowed.

2: Weapons used by your OCs must be able to be found by the general populace and must be able to be carried with two hands. Bazookas, flamethrowers, MP 40s, Thompsons and other weapons falling in this general category are not allowed. I will go so far as to allow a katana however.

3: All OCs must be located in the United States. They are allowed to be from other countries, but they must be visiting the U.S. for a buyable reason.

4: The location they are in must be a real place.

5: The minimum age is 15, while the maximum is 21.

So there's the basic rules for submitting your OC, now here's the form.

**Name:**

**Nickname:**

**Age:**

**Height:**

**Weight:**

**Eye Color:**

**Scars, tattoos, or piercings:**

**Primary Weapon:**

**Backup Weapon:**

**Physical Advantages:**

**Physical Disadvantages:**

**Location at the beginning of the Outbreak:**

**Background story (lengthy and descriptive please):**

**Family: Father (living or dead):**

**Mother (living or dead):**

**Brothers (living or dead):**

**Sisters (living or dead):**

**Reaction to other OCs:**

**Anything extra?:**

Well that's basically it, please submit your forms in either the comments or PM them to me. As an example, here's my character.

**Name: Thomas Richards.**

**Nickname: Bear.**

**Age: 17.**

**Height: 6 foot even.**

**Weight: 150 pounds.**

**Eye Color: hazel, a mixture of brown and green.**

**Scars, tattoos, or piercings: A scar that runs through his left eye.**

**Primary Weapon: 12 Gauge Smith and Wesson.**

**Backup Weapon: H&R 922 revolver.**

**Physical Advantages: Can keep up a decent run for a period of time. Agility allows him to reach places such as rooftops or tunnels.**

**Physical Disadvantages: His eyesight has been failing rapidly, forcing him to wear glasses when he needs to see at a distance.**

**Location at the beginning of the Outbreak: Northern Heights High School, Allen Kansas.**

**Background story: Born to a racist family and an abusive father, Thomas learned at an early age to wait before he trusted someone. At the age of fourteen, his father discovered that Thomas had a girlfriend of Hispanic decent. Out of sheer anger, he struck Thomas with a red-hot piece of metal that he had been blacksmithing on, severely scarring Thomas's face and causing his eyesight to begin to fail rapidly over the next few years. He spent the next three years training hard with various weapons, waiting for the right moment to seek revenge on his father.**

**Family: Father: John Richards, Dead.**

**Mother: Carmon Richards, Alive.**

**Brothers: Jason Richard, Alive.**

**Sisters: None.**

**Reactions to other OCs: Not trusting at first, but later opens up more.**

**Anything Extra? No.**

OCs are due by April 9th. I may take a few after the due date but they will be minor encounters throughout the story. And please do not be mad if your character whines up dead or infected. It's the zombie apocalypse and it should be expected.


	2. Outbreak

_****_**As always, please review and let me know what you think. **

**A/N: I know this is a little early, and dont be mad if you don't find your OC in this one. It dosen't mean that you havent been excepted.  
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_**Allen, Kansas. Northern Heights High School. Z Day, 2:55 PM Central Time. **_

"God damn eyesight, God damn glasses," Thomas Richards muttered under his breath as he dug through the glove compartment of his truck. Finally he located the glasses and began to slide back out of the truck. He froze when he caught a glace at the passenger side mirror. The scar that was there along his face, running from the middle of his forehead through his left eye to the edge of his left cheekbone, was surrounded by seared flesh. After three years, that mark still struck deep-rooted fear and anger into him.

_That mark will remind you of the consciences the next time you feel the need to fraternize with an un-pure race. _Those where the words his father had told him after he discovered that Tom had been dating Georgina Lopez, the only girl of Hispanic decent in school at the time. He struck Tom with a piece of metal roughly the size of a chunk of rebar, a piece of metal that was red hot. Tom was not even close to being racist like his father, in fact he was about as neutral as he could get when it came to the issue.

Forcing himself to snap out of the trance, he closed the glove box and shut the door. He shot a glance at Allen, which lay roughly a mile away, just up the road from where he stood now. With a sigh, he closed his eyes and looked up at the sun, relishing in the warmth spring had brought.

His eyes snapped open when he heard a scream.

_**Northern Heights Chemistry Lab. 2:57 PM Central Time. **_

Demitri Alice Ririchyio Ari carefully picked up the beaker containing sulphuric acid. Glancing at her lab partner, she thought of all the things she could do to him with the chemical. Granted she didn't like most guys in the first place, but this one was an exception. He acted like an ass to everyone and was a general pig to the girls in school, believing himself to be the best thing since sliced bread. Oh the things she could do before the teacher would ever realize what was going on. But she stopped when she noticed the three names tattooed on her wrist.

_You live for their memory. _This is what she told herself whenever she felt like doing something that could land her in a heap of trouble. Sometimes she wondered if life would be different if they had never moved from Japan. Her life had gone down hill ever since. The murder of her little sisters at the age of nine, her father murdering her mother at the age of eleven, and her father's death in a prison riot. Then she had been sent here, to a small town in the middle of nowhere. There was only one other person in school from Japan, and he always kept to himself.

Demitri's head shot to the door of the classroom when a bang reverberated around the room.

_**Northern Heights High School rooftop, 3:00PM Central Time. **_

Ryou Katsu sat on some ductwork as he looked out at Allen. The small town seemed more busy then usual. It didn't matter much to him, school was soon to let out and then he could go back to his house and take a nap. A scream had emanated from the parking lot a few minutes before. But he ignored it, as people where always pulling pranks on each other around here.

"Oh God! Someone help me!" came a cry from below. Ryou cocked his eyebrow as he stood and made his way to the edge of the roof. What he saw below would haunt him for the rest of his life. Three of the school jocks surrounded a cheerleader, ripping her insides from her gut as she began to cough up blood as she screamed. A pool of blood began to surround them as they feasted on her.

Looking across the parking lot, he noticed a small fight was according. With a closer look, he realized that a single teen was fighting off another group of jocks from the bed of his truck. It wasn't until the deep boom of a shotgun blast rang out that Ryou realized that this was very serous.

Ignoring his usual route back to the ground, he headed for the low overhand over the school's entrance. With a graceful leap, Ryou dropped to the concrete sidewalk and began to run to where the small fight had broken out. He did his best to ignore the jocks enjoying their meal as he entered the maze of cars. Reaching under his black over shirt, he drew his prized wakizashi. He noticed that other bodies littered the parking lot, each one of them having been eating on extensively. Much to his horror, one by one, the bodies began to sit up.

Ryou slid to a halt as the teen in the back of the truck racked another shell into the chamber and pointed the shotgun at him. A split second passed as they stared each other down. The teen then adjusted the shotgun's aim and fired, blowing the head off of another jock that stood behind Ryou. Without so much as thinking, he sprang into action himself, slicing and hacking his way though the group around them whiles the teen covered him with the shotgun.

"Hit them in the head!" called the teen as he brought the shotgun's stock down on a young woman's head. Ryou took his advice and started slicing the heads off of his victims. Much to his horror, Ryou suddenly felt a hand latch onto his hair. But the force that was pulling him back ended with the blast of a shotgun. Spinning around, he found himself face to face with a jock whose jaw and right arm was missing. His eyes where glazed over and his upper row of teeth was smeared with gore and blood. With a single slice, the jock's head rolled away across the parking lot and the fight was over.

"You all right?" asked the teen as he leapt down from the bed of the truck. Ryou nodded as he painted, collecting his breath. He recognized the teen, he was the one many in the school had started calling Jonah Hex due to the scar and seared flesh on his face. Personally, Ryou had felt sorry for the teen, as he knew what it was like to carry a mark that caused you emotional and physical pain.

"I am, are you?" he replied. Tom nodded as finished reloading his shotgun, took Ryou's short sword, and cut off a section of hair on the back of his head. Ryou gave him a look of death until Tom held up a severed hand, still clutching strands of snow-white hair in its death grip. Throwing the hand to the side, Tom returned the sword to Ryou and turned away.

He opened the door on his truck and reached into the glove compartment, put the pair of glasses back and grabbed a belt with a holster on it. He turned and offered the gun belt to Ryou, who shook his head, refusing to take the weapon. Tom shrugged as put the belt on and closed the door.

"Lets go, Ice," he said simply as they started off towards the school entrance.

_**Northern Heights Chemistry Lab, 3:02 PM **_

The screams in the hallways intensified as the door was finally broken down. Being swarmed within a blink of an eye, the Chemistry teacher was consumed by a tide of students, her screams cut off by the moans of the infected. Acting purely on instinct, Demitri threw the beaker into the tide of bodies. The unmistakable hissing sound of acid on flesh filled the room as she pulled her softball bat from her things beside her table. She took a stance she had learned in track, forcing herself to remain calm while her fellow students where consumed in the tide of bodies. _Here comes the end_ she thought as she waited for the bodies to advance closer.

Suddenly, the deep boom of a shotgun echoed down the hallway outside, followed closely by the crack of a .22. The bodies, all of them either students or teachers, turned and began to walk back out of the room, to the source of the noise. Turning her attention away from the receding tide, she chose a teacher who was chewing on the lung of a student not ten feet away.

"Hey, can you put down the manwitch for a moment you old bastered," she said as she took a firm grip on her bat. The teacher looked up at her, his lifeless glazed over eyes looking in her general direction. With a shout, she swung the bat and caved in his nose. The teacher reared back from the blow but didn't go down. With another swing, the teacher finally collapsed, blood and brain matter oozing out of the caved in sections on his face.

Turning away from the now truly dead corpse, she began to swing her way through the small crowd that had gathered at the doorway. She didn't kill them; just hit them with enough force to knock them out of the way. Reaching the doorway, Demitri could partly see through the wall of bodies that surrounded her. It was Ryou and Tom who were drawing the crowd away from her.

"Demitri! Lets go!" called Ryou as he sliced the head off of nearby corpse. With two forceful swings, Demitri broke free of the crowd and raced to the others. Racking another shell into the chamber, Tom fired his shotgun from the hip. Three of the closest corpses were sent sprawling, tripping up others as they landed.

"That should buy us some time," he muttered as they turned away from the classroom door. Walking quickly though the hallway, they came across a flight of stairs and a teacher. The teacher was clutching his shoulder and stumbling slightly, blood leaked though his fingers.

"Weapons? Don't you know that weapons are not allowed on school property?" the teacher asked in a dream like voice. Tom sighed as he drew his revolver.

"You've been bitten," he said, his voice containing no emotion. The teacher coughed slightly, then vomited a large amount of blood.

"What makes you think that?" the teacher asked, gasping for breath as blood ran down his lower lip.

"I've seen those symptoms before," Tom said very plainly as he thumbed the revolver's hammer and fired. The bullet drilled the teacher in between the eyes; the now lifeless body fell backwards down the stairs. As he lower the gun, the three of them took notice of Allen now, as they looked though the window across from them. Large pillars of black smoke rose above the town, the flickering orange of flames could just be seen at their base.

"My God, Koto's in there," whispered Ryou in horror. Tom started down the stairs.

"Well Ice, lets go get Koto," he said. Ryou gave him a look.

"Why would you bother to help anyone but yourself?" he asked. Tom shrugged as holstered the revolver and put a new shell in his shotgun.

"I'm in a helpful mood," he replied.


	3. Across this Land

_****_**As always, please review and let me know what you think. **

**A/N: I'm still not done introducing all of the OCs, the next chapter will be the last introduction chapter. So if you don't see your OC here, do not loose hope!  
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_**Flying J' Truck Stop. Emporia, Kansas. ZDay, 3:20 PM Central Time. **_

Brice Rider looked over the various bags of chips that sat on the racks. It had been a long drive from his home in Grant's Pass, Oregon. He wasn't much for the hilly landscape this part of Kansas offered, although it was better then the wide openness that the western half offered. A single ding sounded as the front door of the store opened.

"Did you see the plumbs of smoke?" asked one person in a hushed tone.

"Yeah, but there too dark for usual grass burning, that was almost pitch black," whispered another. Brice had been eavesdropping on these conversations for the past thirty minutes. Being a hunter, he had learned to listen to the locals and figure out was putting them on edge. Right now it was the black pillars of smoke to the north and east.

The front door creaked slightly as a single woman pushed against in the wrong direction. Once again, Brice's hunter instincts were kicking in, as he had seen this behavior in animals with rabies.

_**Washington Monument, Washington D.C. 3:22 PM Central Time. **_

Beatrice Coleman knelt in the shadows of the Monument's entrance, clutching a crowbar. It was hard to believe that barely an hour ago the sky had been blue and a bright shining sun had been hanging there. Now the sky was a mixture of blood red and black as the city burned around her. Chaos rained supreme as both the hordes of the dead and gangs of antiracists were overrunning the police and National Guard.

"All right Bee, you can do this," she whispered to herself as she touched the crowbar to her forehead. Her thoughts raced though her recent memories, about how people who weren't infected were being shipped out of the city to safe zones via helicopter. The nearest evacuation sight was at the Lincoln Memorial. Taking a few deep breaths, she started to run. She ignored the various scenes of horror around her as she ran beside the reflection pool.

Then she saw it.

Just ahead of her was a small barricade of National Guardsmen surrounding a few Blackhawk helicopters. She threw her hands up as she approached the barricade.

"I haven't been bit! I'm not infected!" she cried as she reached the barricade. The Guardsmen lowered their weapons and haled her over the barricade.

_**Main Gate Defensive Barricade. Fort Hood, Texas. 3:34PM Central Time. **_

"Repeat! Your orders are to put down anyone exhibiting the various symptoms known with infection!" shouted the commanding officer into his bullhorn. Corporal Chris Rodgers rolled his eyes slightly as he peered though the scope on his M14. He was in almost full body gear, lying prone on top of an armored personal carrier.

"You think this is FUBAR?" asked the spotter that lay next to him. Chris rolled his eyes.

"Man, I know this is FUBAR," he replied. The Spotter shot a sideways glace at him.

"What makes you say that?"

"Half my squad got sick, you think was the first choice for this job with these birth control goggles on my face?" he replied with a since of humor. The spotter chuckled as he returned to looking though his own scope. Suddenly, he went stiff as he spotted something though the scope.

"Crap, we got walkers out there," he said. Chris muttered under his breath as he thumbed the safety off and pulled back the action on his rifle. Within a minute, the spotter had guided him to the dead's position.

"Just another day at the office," Chris muttered as he took aim and opened fire.

_**Flying J' Truck Stop. 3:35PM Central Time. **_

Brice walked toured the door slowly. He could see various drivers behind the woman being mauled by other people. Reaching out to the side, he grabbed the fire axe out of its holding box.

_Run like hell to the station wagon and don't stop for anything. _He thought as he took a deep breath. With a forceful kick, he knocked the double glass doors open. The woman was sent spiraling as he stepped forward and brought the axe down, embedding it into her chest. But the woman grabbed hold of the axe and twisted it out of his grasp. With the axe still sticking out of her chest, the woman started to stand. Using another kick, Brice pulled the axe free of the woman's chest as she smacked on the pavement. With a wood chopping swing, he brought the axe down and chopped the woman's head clean off.

Pulling the axe back over his head, Brice brought it forward and threw it. With an almost expert aim, the axe flew end over end and embedded itself in the spine of a nearby corpse. He jumped over the now crippled body as he ran for his car. Brice slid across the hood of his car, jumped into the car, and tore out of the parking lot. Just west of the city, he turned off of Highway 50 and onto a north bound black top road.

"What the hell is going on?" he questioned himself as he shook the adrenalin off.


	4. United we Stand

_****_**As always, please review and let me know what you think. **

**A/N: Well the dead line is here, thank you all for entering. For those of you who's OC's did not get accepted, i will try to make it up to you. They will still be in the story as encounters along the road to safety. Now relax and please enjoy.  
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_**O'Brian's Gym. Manhattan Island, New York City. 4:00PM Central Time. **_

Seamus Hannigan sent his fists into a series of quick strikes on the punching bag. He ignored the large amount of sirens coming from outside as he finally stopped to rest. Pulling off his boxing gloves, he took a swing of water and ran his left hand over his forehead, wiping away the sweat. Glancing out the large window at the front of the gym, Seamus nearly chocked on his water when he saw an M1 Abrams roll past on the street outside.

It was the strangest sight, a massive war machine against the backdrop of Central Park. Quickly walking outside, he knew almost instantly that something was wrong. It wasn't just the tank that put him on edge; it was the large amount of people heading up the streets, going north. Military attack helicopters passed low overhead, heading in the same direction the Tank had been. Looking back across the street, he noticed a thin teenage girl approaching him.

_**Central Park, just across the street from O'Brian's Gym. 4:03PM Central Time.**_

Henry Michel popped a pill of her medicine into her mouth and looked over the Colt .45 she had snatched from a pawnshop just an hour before. She had managed to secure a few bullets for it as well as she made her way north, away from the growing horrors in lower Manhattan. Taking a deep breath, she pulled her blonde hair back over her ear and stepped out into the street.

Looking across the street, she noticed an older teen wearing only boxing shorts and staring out into the refugee crowds like a newborn. Sighing, Henry waited for a few armored personal carriers to pass before she crossed the street to him.

"Hey, what are you doing? Why aren't you going to the evacuation zones like everyone else?" she asked, keeping a distance of about four feet away from him.

"What the hell is going on?" he asked in a hushed voice, so low that she had to strain to hear what he had said.

"Don't you listen to the radio? There's some sort of riot going on in Lower Manhattan," she said, not even convincing herself. Seamus rolled his eyes slightly as he turned and walked back into the gym. Seeing as she had nothing better to do, Henry followed.

"So do you have a name or what?" she asked, stopping just in front of the door.

"Seamus Hannigan, but everyone just calls me Shamrocks," he said.

"Henry Michel," she said as he strode across the gym and turned on a radio in the back. The unmistakable electronic beep of the Emergency Broadcasting System filled the gym.

"This is the Emergency Broadcasting System for the greater Manhattan area, there has been an outbreak of a highly infectious disease. All persons on Manhattan Island are requested to either proceed with evacuations immediately or stay in your homes. Stay away from any infected persons, as they are highly dangerous," said the electronic voice on the radio.

"Now what was that you were saying about a riot?" asked Seamus as he put a shirt on and grabbed his jacket and pack.

_**Allen, Kansas. 4:05PM Central Time. **_

Tom, Ryou, and Demitri sprinted across the school parking lot to Tom's truck. The pillars of smoke from Allen loomed overhead. Finally reached the white truck, ignoring the bodies around it from the earlier fight.

"Where would your sister be?" asked Tom as climbed into through the driver's side door. Ryou thought for a moment, making a decision weather or not to trust Tom.

"The elementary school," he said quietly as he climbed into the passenger seat. Demitri stepped back from the truck, tightening her grip on her bat nervously. Tom noticed this.

"What are you waiting for? Get in," he said. She shook her head furiously, refusing to be in a tight place with two guys.

"Then get in the bed or get on the hood, I don't care but if you stay here you will die, plain and simple," said Tom before he started the truck. The rumble of the engine began to draw the dead from the shattered high school entrance. Demitri quickly jumped into the bed while Tom put the truck into reverse. With almost terrifying ferocity, the truck tore out of the parking lot and started down the road to Allen. In less then a minute, the truck had arrived at the small town's outskirts.

"Oh my God, there she is," said Ryou, pointing to a small girl in the middle of the road, slowly retreating from a walking corpse. Tom gripped the wheel tightly and slammed on the breaks. The truck skidded and smashed into the corpse, forcing it out and away from the girl and causing it to slam onto the pavement. Both Tom and Ryou jumped out of the truck.

"Kotone, thank God," said Ryou as he picked up his sister and buried her in a massive hug. Tom ran over to the corpse, which was now struggling to get on its feet. With a kick to its face, the back of its skull slammed into the pavement again, but this time Tom fired his revolver. Ryou turned so his sister wouldn't have to see the body.

"All right, lets go, everyone in town would have heard that shot," said Tom. 


	5. The Fighting Begins

__**As always, please review and let me know what you think. **

**A/N: Please do not complain that Seamus, Bee, and Henry are not getting much of the action. They will kill alot of the dead soon.  
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_**Armored Convoy, Central Killeen, Texas. 5:00PM Central Time. **_

"Remind me again why we're leaving the Fort," called the Corporal's spotter over the rumble of the Armored Personal Carrier.

"The brass wants us to get what's left of the civilians out of Killeen. Satellite imagery shows mass groups moving in from the Dallas/Fort Worth area as well as Waco," replied Chris. All around them, the evident signs of chaos stood out. Cars burned, windows in various houses were broken, and the occasional body lay on the street. Soldiers stood on every other street corner, either directing the convoy or putting down a walker. Every once in a while, a civilian or two were escorted out of their houses and taken to one of the APCs. Finally the convoy came to a halt in a dead end round about, surrounded on all sides by houses.

"All right men, you know the drill! Get in, get out, and put down any infected you come across!" shouted the commanding officer. Chris and his spotter stepped out of their humvee and climbed onto the roof of one of the APCs. Men ran into various houses, searching high and low for any survivors. What few were in the houses hurried outside and entered the APCs.

Then Chris noticed the commanding officer put his ear to a satellite phone. After a few moments, he put the phone away and grabbed his bullhorn.

"All troopers finish your current searches and return to your designated vehicles. Keep your eyes level and your weapons hot," he called through the bullhorn.

"What's going on man?" asked the spotter as they watched.

"Something's wrong," replied Chris as he watched the commanding officer look nervously back in the direction they had come. Chris turned and brought his scope up, looking in the same direction. The spotter noticed the look of worry come over Chris's face.

"What?" he asked.

"We're cut off."

_**East Bound lane Highway 56. Just west of Allen. 5:04PM Central Time. **_

Brice looked around through the windshield, looking at the massive pillars of black ahead of him. But according his map, this was the only way to Osage City. The town almost seemed to glow against the setting sun behind him, the pillars of smoke looked like a boiling thunderstorm against the orange light of the sun. On the edge of town, he brought the car to a complete stop, judging weather it was safe or not to enter the town. Granted, the highway only passed the town's northern edge.

The window next to him suddenly shattered as an undead attempted to make him a meal. It rapped its arms around his throat, bringing him into a headlock. Brice's reaction time was flawless as he grabbed a machete from the passenger seat and stabbed backward. The tension in the corpse's arms loosened as Brice felt blood spay the back of his neck. Then, much to his surprise, a teen slid across the hood. He leaned on the windshield slightly as his shotgun fired twice. Dropping off the driver's side of the car, the teen came up in a crouch.

Brice threw open the door open and stepped outside. Instantly he realized what kind of trap he had driven into. The dead surrounded them on all sides, and they were advancing slowly. With a grunt, the teen tossed him an object. Brice caught it with relative ease, and he instantly realized that it was a revolver. Thumbing the hammer, Brice turned and fired. One of the corpses collapsed as the bullet drilled it right between the eyes. Squeezing the trigger again, Brice's eyes went wide as the cylinders only span, nothing more happening.

"The double action is busted, just use it like you would in a John Wayne movie," called the teen as he racked another shell into the chamber. They retreated back to back, still firing as they went.

"Brice Rider," called Brice over the gunfire as he felt his back reach the teen's.

"Thomas Richards," came the reply. They fired some more, creating a kill zone line with bodies of the dead. Brice's blood ran cold as the ping of the hammer falling on an empty shell rang out. Acting fast, Tom tossed him a new cylinder with new bullets in it. With a since of coolness, Brice swapped out the cylinders. In less then thirty seconds, he was firing again.

"Ice! We could use a little help out here!" called Tom. Out of the corner of his eye, Brice watched as another teen came out of the shadows. He sliced and swung with his newly recovered Katana. In a minute, he had cut a path to the surrounded car.

"You wouldn't happen to have a bow in that car would you," asked Tom as he slid some new shells into the shotgun.

"Why?" asked Brice. Tom held up an arrow with an explosive tip on it.

"Where the hell did you get that?" Brice asked. Tom fired the shotgun again.

"Is this really the time to ask questions?" he replied. Rolling his eyes slightly, Brice opened the door to the car and grabbed his compound bow. Taking the arrow from Tom, he climbed up onto the roof of the car. With a slight breath, he drew the arrow back, held it for a moment, and let it fly. The arrow sailed over the head's of several corpses and detonated.

Most of the dead that weren't killed by the blast were crippled to the point of where they could barely crawl. Ryou let out a low whistle at the sight. Brice turned and handed the revolver back to Tom. Now that he got a decent look at the teen's scarred face, he let out an involuntary flinch. Tom ignored it as he swapped out the cylinders again and returned the gun to its holster. Demitri and Kotone came running from a nearby house with Demitri covering the young girl's eyes. Tom introduced each one out of the small group.

"So where you headed?" Ryou asked. Brice shrugged slightly.

"Osage City, heard on the radio that there was a safe zone there," he replied. Tom startled whistling "When Johnny comes Marching Home" as he put down the occasional corpse. The coldness in which he went around doing his business sent a chill up Demitri's spine.

"So where did you get all this equipment?" asked Brice.

"Our houses," Tom replied before he fired another shot, "we need to leave Allen before we're completely overrun anyway."

_**Somewhere over Eastern Missouri. 5:07 PM Central Time. **_

"Ladies and Gentlemen, if you would please strap yourselves in, we are beginning out decent into the Fort Riley safe zone," said the pilot over the speaker system. Bee found it hard to believe that this was a military cargo plane and not an airliner the way the pilot spoke. It was also hard to believe that almost two hours ago she had been in the battleground that D.C. had become. The military had airlifted her and several others to the Forward Operating Base at Delis Airport. Then that had put them all in a plane and shipped to what was suppose to be a safer area.

Of course there was always the chance that the "safe" zone had become a battleground as well.

She rushed to push this thought from her mind. Soon she would be on another plane headed home to London. At least she hoped that there was a plane going to London. The C-130 bounced slightly with turbulence, jolting her from her thoughts. After all, the Outbreak had put a serious dint in everyone's plans.

_**Central Park. 5:09PM Central Time. **_

"Are you one hundred percent sure that this is the direction we're suppose to be going?" Henry asked as they walked through the park. Gunfire and the occasional boom of a tank's main gun being fired emanated from the south.

"The radio said there was an airlift in the northern part of the park," replied Seamus as they walked. His fingers were intertwined in one of his trench knifes.

"But are you sure that we should trust the radio?" she asked. Seamus stopped and sighed.

"The longer we stay in the city, the more our chances of survival go down hill," he said before he continued to walk again. Henry double-checked her pocket for her medication before she started to walk again. Her kind of meds was very hard to find. And thankfully none of the infected had yet to reach this part of the city, but the sky had turned blood red and black with the fires from the infested areas.

With a slight shutter, Henry hurried to catch up with Seamus. 


	6. Military Responce

_****_**As always, please review and let me know what you think.  
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_**Command Room, Cheyenne Mountain. 7PM Central Time. **_

"Gentlemen this infection has spread far beyond anything we have previously seen," said one of the Generals sitting around the table.

"The infected and various gangs have proven to much, we have lost Washington," said another.

"The Barricades are nearly overrun, we will loose New York as well," said yet another.

"Much of the heartland has been overrun as well." Silence fell as they waited for the Five Star at the end of the table to speak. He cleared his throat before he spoke.

"Just before he succumb to the infection, the President issued Order Triple 6 Delta," he said. A small amount of gasps escaped from everyone around the table.

"Has this been verified?" asked one of the Generals. The Five Star nodded simply.

"How many of the silos are still online?" asked another.

"Counting the bombers and missile subs, we have 1,050 warheads ready to fire right now," came the reply.

"My God," whispered another one of the Generals. The Five Star leaned forward and rested his arms on the table.

"Gentlemen, we must do this in order to stop the infection. May God have mercy on us all."

_**Main Defensive Barricade, Fort Hood. 7:07 PM Central Time. **_

"Die you sons of bitchs! Die!" Chris shouted as he fired his rifle. The convoy had just spent two hours fighting trough overrun suburbs in order to reach the Fort. But the main gate had been overrun, Pillars of smoke rose from the base, putting worry and panic into the Corporal's heart. His wife and kid were somewhere inside that hellhole. The Convoy plowed through the barricade and rushed onto the base. But instead of heading to the barracks and military housing, it turned onto Hood Army Airfield.

"Get to the choppers!" shouted the commanding officer. Chris made a b line to the officer.

"Sir, request permission to get my family!" he shouted over the commotion.

"Request denied, all military families have already been extracted! Now get on board Corporal, we're abandoning Hood!" Chris looked out across the tarmac to the main Fort. Attack helicopters were releasing their missiles onto the base itself. He gritted his teeth as he boarded the helicopter and abandoned his home.

_**Chinook Helicopter, over the Hudson River. 7:07 PM Central Time. **_

Seamus and Henry looked down into the canyons that made up the city streets below. Fires burned in almost every building, the flashes of explosions emanated from Times Square. An orange glow lit up brightly in Harlem as a jet did a napalm run. A scream suddenly emanated from inside the chopper. The pair spun around and found themselves face to face with passengers that had just reanimated. The whole chopper suddenly shifted as the pilots tried to control their panic. This action caused the rear machine gunner to go tumbling out of the back of the chopper.

Acting quickly, Henry took control of the machine gun and turned it around. All she had that kept her from falling out of the chopper was the fact that she was hanging onto the gun. Squeezing the trigger, she held on as the machine gun blared to life.

"Henry stop it! You'll damage the chopper before you even get close to killing them!" shouted Seamus over the blare of the gun. But the damage had already been done, alarms sounded from the cockpit as the chopper lurched and began to fall from the sky. Henry lost her grip and began to fall, but Seamus managed to catch her and pull her back on board.

"Hang on! This is gonna be rough!"

_**Fort Riley safe zone, Fort Riley, Kansas. 7:10PM Central Time. **_

Bee held on tight as the C130 touched down on the tarmac. Soldiers rushed onto the plane as they came to a halt and started to search everyone for bite marks. As she stepped off the plane, the first thing she noticed was the towering hill line that lay just across Interstate 70. Up and down the hillside sat the rusting relics of past wars. The base had been thrown into overdrive with the threat from the infection. From somewhere on the hill behind her the deep rezoning booms and white puffs of smoke sprang up as M777s began to open fire.

"Excuse me, when can I get on a plane for London?" she asked a nearby soldier.

"Young lady look around you, there's not going to be a plane headed to London anytime soon," he said. Bee's heart sank as she realized that she wasn't going home.

_**Osage City, Kansas. 7:17PM Central Time.**_

"So what exactly are we expecting to find?" asked Ryou as the truck followed the station wagon though the deserted streets.

"There's suppose to be a safe zone at the ball diamonds on the south end of town," came Tom's reply.

"Do you believe everything you hear Hex?" asked Demitri in the bed of the truck. The anger that boiled in Tom would have been enough to melt one of the polar caps.

"Shut up Rusky!" he shouted out his window. The trip from Allen had been pretty much like this, as Tom and Demitri had been calling each other by the nicknames they had at school. Kotone sat in-between Tom and Ryou, watching the houses pass. She tugged on Tom's arm.

"Why does she call you Hex? Is that your name?" she asked. Tom shook his head and didn't answer.

"Why does she call you that?"

"I don't want to talk about it." Oh how his father would have been proud, driving with three Asians to safety. He probably would have seared the other side of his face or worse. Then they saw it, the ball diamonds sitting on the edge of town. But Brice motioned for them to pull over.

"What is it?" asked Tom as he climbed out of the cab and approached the station wagon. Brice stood out of the car and handed him a pair of binoculars.

"The main gate," he said simply. Looking though the binoculars, Tom watched as the remaining guards were overrun by the undead from both inside the compound and out.

"Jesus, the whole place is compromised," he said. A dull roar filled the air followed the by a high pitched banshee scream as two F18s passed overhead. A sudden burst of napalm erupted over the compound and within seconds the whole area had been consumed in fire. Everyone threw up their hands, protecting their faces from the sudden blast of heat.

"Holy shit," muttered Ryou as the compound slowly became visible though the black smoke from the napalm. A few of the dead stumbled around, nothing more now then walking pillars of flame. After a few moments, they too collapsed.

"So what do we do now Hex?" asked Demitri, cradling her white cat. Tom stalked over to the bed and looked pulled her down to eye level by gripping the front of her shirt.

"How do you think I got this mark huh? You think I was playing around the campfire one day and accidently poked myself? This was NO accident, I know that because my father gave it to me, and he told me personally that I deserved the mark for my behavior. So you go on ahead, continue to call me by that name, but I swear that when it matters most, you'll be left behind," he said before letting her go. Demitri tried to calm herself and not have a panic attack; this was the first time in a long time that a guy had been this close to her.

Come on you two, we got enough problems without you arguing all the time," said Brice.

"We need a place to bed down for the night," said Tom, looking over the town around them. Then he climbed back into the truck.

"Follow me Brice, I know a place." 


	7. First Night 1

**As always, please review and let me know what you think. ****  
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**A/N: The next few chapters will be covering how each group survives the night, so they may be a little shorter then usual.  
><strong>

_**BP Connivance store, Osage City. 8:30PM Central Time. **_

"You know, last I checked it was illegal for a seventeen year old to have tobacco products," said Brice, leaning on the checkout counter. Tom was kneeling on top of the counter, attempting to pry the lock off of the cigarette and cigar storage with a crowbar.

"I think the government stopped giving a fuck about tobacco laws when they napalmed a set of ball diamonds," came the grunted reply before the lock finally gave way. The door swung open, and Tom fell flat on his face behind the counter. Across the store, Demitri smothered a laugh. Tom ground, stood and started to dig out all the boxes.

"Besides, you can always use them to trade," he said, throwing the boxes on the counter. He picked out a single pack and grabbed a lighter. Demitri and Kotone went about laying out various blankets in booths for them to sleep in. Ryou and Brice looked around the door, double-checking the security of the store while Tom sat on the counter, popped a cigarette into his mouth, and started to clean his shotgun. The only lights in the store came from flashlights and security lights were the drinks were stored.

"Why does Demitri call you Hex?" asked Kotone, tugging slightly on Tom's right pant leg.

"You sure your brother wants you talking to me, Koto?" asked Tom, not taking his attention away from his guns.

"All I want to do is ask you a few questions is all," she said.

"I've seen your brother in a fight, last thing I want to do is be on his wrong side," he replied as he tested the pump action.

"He's just a little bitter since Dad scared him," Kotone said, looking at Ryou across the store. Tom froze and looked down at the young girl.

"Your father scarred him?" he asked. She nodded.

"Ryou got mad that Dad was teaching our brother the arts of the sword and not him. He attacked our brother to test his skills, but Dad stepped in and wounded him with a real sword," she said. Tom gazed at Ryou for a moment or two before returning his attention to the shotgun.

"He's a lot more like me then I thought," he muttered to himself. Kotone shrugged slightly.

"So anyway, why does she call you Hex?" she asked, her voice containing its curiosity again.

"It's a long story," he replied, setting the shotgun to the side and picking up the revolver.

"We're not going anywhere anytime soon," she replied. Tom sighed slightly.

"It's a reference to Jonah Hex," he said, not liking the conversation.

"As in the comic book character?" she asked. Tom stopped cleaning for a moment and looked at her.

"Your smarter then you look kid," he said. Kotone beamed slightly at the complement.

"Bed time, Koto," said Ryou as he walked up to the counter. Kotone groaned and walked back over to Demitri. Tom put the cylinders back into the revolver, gave them a slight spin before he returned the gun to its holster.

"We all set for the night?" asked Brice as he walked up to the counter.

"I got first watch, I'll wake Brice up at midnight to take over, Ryou you'll take over at four," said Tom. Ryou nodded in agreement before he walked over and lay down next to his sister. But Brice stayed at the counter.

"After the sun comes up tomorrow, what happens then?" he asked. Tom shrugged before he lit the cigarette and stared out the black windows.

"I'm not exactly the best one to be making plans around here," he said. Brice turned down a cigarette offered to him and looked over at the others.

"I'll keep my ear on the radio, try to figure out what's going out there," he said. Tom shrugged again.

"You sure you want to trust the radio? I mean it's the thing that led us here," he said. Brice nodded in agreement.

"We'll figure something out," he said before he turned and walked over to the others. Tom settled down slightly and put out the cigarette before scanning the widows again.

"Can we talk?" asked Demitri, keeping her distance from him. Tom sighed before he took out the lighter.

"You're gonna have to start trusting us, cause like it or not a majority of the people in this group are guys," he said as he flipped the lid open and lit the lighter. The eerie orange glow lit up his scarred face for a moment.

"What makes you think I don't trust guys?" she asked, still keeping her distance.

"Please, I've seen the way you act in school. My vision may be failing but I'm not completely blind," he said. Demitri sighed and inched closer to him, but was still well out of arms reach.

"I just wanted to apologize for calling you Jonah Hex is all," she said. Tom scanned the windows again.

"Everyone has a past, some more bloody and violent then others. That doesn't mean that yours or my actions are justified though," he said. It wasn't a spoken apology acceptance, but the message still came though clear enough. Demitri turned to go lay down again.

"How old were they?" he asked. Demitri froze and spun around.

"What did you say?" she asked.

"How old were your sisters?" Demitri's eyes slanted slightly.

"How do you know about that?" she asked. Tom motioned to her wrist, where the names were tattooed.

"Like I said, my vision may be failing, but I'm not completely blind." Demitri sighed and turned again.

"Too young," she said.

"I'm sorry," he said. The apology actually sounded like he felt sorry for her.

"Nothing you could have done," she said before she walked over and lay down. Tom sighed and looked back out the windows again. His fingers traced the line of his scar, sending a shiver up his spine.

It was going to be a long night.


	8. First Night 2

_****_**As always, please review and let me know what you think.  
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_**Hudson River bank, New Jersey. 9PM Central Time. **_

The clatter of a machine gun brought Henry out of her sleep. She had been knocked out by the impact of the helicopter, and for a moment she didn't know where she was. Then it all came rushing back to her. New York succumbing to the assault of the infected, the city burning, the infected being on the helicopter, using the machine gun against them. Shaking her head to clear her vision, the first thing she noticed was the bottle of pills in front of her. It was her medication, and the bottle had split open, spilling the pills over the area. Her blood ran cold when she found only three usable capsules. Unless she found more medication, Henry had three days to live.

"Are you gonna wake up and give me a hand here or are you just gonna sleep and let them get you that way?" asked Seamus, looking down at her. Henry realized that the helicopter was pitched, its rear ramp raised in the air and the cockpit buried in the New Jersey soil. Rolling over, she dug the .45 out of her hoddie pocket and climbed the floor of the helicopter to be next to Seamus.

Her blood turned to ice when she saw the horde between them and the river's edge. Hanging onto the edge of the ramp, she leveled the gun, exhaled slowly, and opened fire. Several of the bodies fell quickly, crippled by the bullets from the machine gun. Then the unmistakable click emanated from the machine gun, they had run out of ammo for it.

Pulling himself onto the level section of the ramp, Seamus drew his trench knifes. Both of them had been gifts from his father when they had moved here from Ireland. Now they were serving a true purpose, rather then rusting by sitting in storage. Then, suddenly, more machine gun fire erupted, only this time it came from the river. A small speeding boat swung about on the river and drove up into the mud on the edge of the Hudson.

"Who the hell are these guys?" asked Henry as she pulled herself up and stood next to Seamus. Two of the figures on the deck of the boat unleashed a hellish rain of fire from homemade turrets. The fire torched the area around the bow of the boat and destroyed any of the dead around the bow. Three crewmembers leapt off the bow and started to fire with their AK 47s into the remaining crowd.

"Hurry the hell up and grab the guns!" shouted one of the ones that remained on the boat. Henry looked up at Seamus.

"Do we trust them?" she asked. Seamus shrugged before he took a deep breath. He leapt from the edge of the chopped and landed on one of the few infected around the base of the chopper that had yet to be cut down. He swung his fists, caving in the skulls of a few of the dead around him. With a quick flick of his wrists, the blades sliced of a few of their heads. Firing her pistol, Henry jumped after him, and together the two ran for the boat.

"Get your asses on board, we still got a crap ton more of stops to make tonight!" shouted the second in command of the boat as both teens jumped onto the boat. The crewmembers that had searched the chopper for weapons also jumped on board. Spraying mud and water, the boat out of the shallows around this area and headed down river to the harbor.

"Um, thanks for saving us," said Henry nervously. The woman who had been shouting orders lit a cigarette and looked in the direction they were headed.

"Save your thanks kid, we're far from being out of a shit hurricane by a long shot," she said. The burning city and ships illuminated Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty as the boat passed Battery Park. Sliding on a thick set of headphones, the woman raised a pair of binoculars to her eyes.

"Adjust course to heading 119 and hold, five hundred yards to target," she said into a microphone.

"What is she talking about?" Henry asked, leaning against Seamus. He simply pointed to the large tubes on both sides of the boat.

"Torpedo run," he said simply. Looking out over the bow, they spotted a large Yaut attempting to make a run to open sea. Muzzle flashes illuminated the deck of the large craft. The crew was fighting the dead on board.

"Hold course…fire Tube One," said the woman. With a spray of steam, the large metal fish of the torpedo sprang from the tube on the starboard side like a man being fried from a cannon. The large fish landed in the water and disappeared for a moment. Then a large column of water and a deep thud shot up from the port side of the boat. Almost instantly, the craft was listing badly with fire bellowing from its lower deck.

"Fire Two," said the woman. Instantly, same thing happened with the tube on the Port Side. By now, a portion of the Yaut's deck was underwater. The torpedo slammed into the deck and created a large fireball, sending infected and crewmembers alike into the air.

"Good hits Cap, nice shooting," said the woman before she took the headphones and looked at the teens.

"I'm assuming you were on that chopped back there when it went down," she said. Both teens nodded, not really in the mood for speaking.

"Well, I'm second in command Reigns, and this is the torpedo boat _Dawson. _Welcome aboard and make yourselves at home as much as possible," she said before she went below decks. Seamus started after her, but Henry stopped him.

"Can I trust you?" she asked. He nodded simply, waiting for her to speak. Holding up the three remaining pills, she explained her situation. But rather then panic, Seamus remained calm.

"We're safe for tonight, tomorrow we will search for more of your medication," he said before he started below decks.


	9. First Night 3

_****_**As always, please review and let me know what you think.  
><strong>

**A/N: Yes this is short, but it is also the last of the First Night stories. The Second day of the Outbreak will be much more action filled believe me.  
><strong>

_**Southern Flight Approach to Fort Riley. 12 AM Central Time, Z Day + 1. **_

"Jesus Christ," whispered Chris's spotter as the Blackhawk came in low over the hill's surrounding the Fort. Flashes from artillery fire lit up the night like a powerful thunderstorm.

"Fort's been under attack for almost six hours!" called one of the troopers next to them.

"How long until this suffers the same fate as Hood?" Chris whispered to himself. All he really wanted to do was find his family. The chopper came in low and settled on the airfield. In a hurried motion, the soldiers were on the tarmac and ready for action.

"Corporal Rodgers!" came the call of his commanding officer. Chris trotted over and stood at attention.

"You'll be guarding this young woman for the night," said the C.O. Chris blinked.

"I need to find my family sir," he said. The C.O. shook his head.

"Your family is fine Corporal, the thing you need to do is guard this young woman and make sure she doesn't leave," said the C.O. before he turned and walked away. Chris sighed as another rumble of artillery filled the night.

"So what did you do to get yourself in trouble?" he asked as they began to walk across the tarmac in order to get out of the way.

"I tried to leave and find a way back to London," said the girl. Chris nodded slightly, understanding the need to escape and find someone you loved.

"So you got a name, yank?" asked the girl.

"Corporal Rodgers, What 'bout you Brit?" came the reply.

"Beatrice Coleman, or Bee for short," she answered. Chris looked around slightly.

"Alright Bee I'll make you a deal, you find out where my family is and I'll get you out of here," he said. Bee cocked her eyebrow at him for a moment.

"Corporal, you got yourself a deal," she said before she headed out into the crowd. Chris watched her for a moment before he found a seat next to some sand bags and set to cleaning his rifle. Almost an hour had passed before Bee finally returned.

"A chopper carrying a woman and child with the last name of Rodgers went down over McPherson County about four hours ago," she said nervously. Rather then shed tears, Chris stood and kicked the sand bag wall.

"You still want that way out of here?" he asked as he started across the tarmac. Bee had to hurry to keep up as he approached a recently refueled Blackhawk.

"Whoa whoa whoa, you're going to steal a helicopter?" asked Bee as Chris climbed into the cockpit.

"Only way out of here is if you got wings," came the reply as the rotors started to spin. A nearby MP took notice and started to run after them while Bee jumped into the helicopter. Just as the chopper started to lift off, she felt the MP grab one of her feet. With a forceful kick from her free foot, Bee broke the MP's nose and watched as he fell and skidded across the tarmac as they lifted off into the night.

"Aren't they going to try to shoot us down?" asked Bee as she put on a set of headphones. Chris shook his head.

"Army's to preoccupied with the infected, one little helicopter isn't going to make much difference to them." They followed I70 and passed Junction City as they flew. The massive fires and explosions were all the result of the shelling from the fort. Then the chopper turned and headed southwest.

"Can you work a radio?" asked Chris after a short time. Bee nodded in reply. The Corporal motioned to one of the switches in the consol that controlled the radio. For about five minutes, she tinkered with the radio before she hit the jackpot.

"You might want to hear this," she said, tapping him on the shoulder. They both listened to static before the message started again.

"Repeat, this is the Coronado Heights Safe Zone calling Fort Riley, we have a downed Chinook near Lindsborg with survivors. Requesting any and all assistance," said the voice.

"They may be alive," whispered Chris with hope. Bee looked out into the black night. Orange glows lit the horizon in all directions as several major cities burned. She knew that it was going to be a long time before she ever saw Britain again. With a sigh, she made her decision.

"Alright Corporal, let's go save your family."


	10. BP Gunfight

**As always, please review and let me know what you think. **

**BP**_** Connivance store, Osage City. 7:00AM Central Time, Z Day + 1. **_

"Should we wake him up?" asked Demitri as she peered out through the windows. Sunlight had just started to stream in through the windows. Luckily, none of the infected or anyone else was out on the street.

"Might as well. Leave Brice alone for a little longer though," answered Ryou. Demitri sighed as she walked over to wake Tom up. The teen was sleeping in a small booth with his legs hanging over the edge of the seat and his shotgun crattled in his arms. She paused for a moment as she tried to figure out how to wake him up without touching him. Then she spotted the mop nearby. Reaching over, she poked his leg with the tip of the mop. Tom suddenly shot up out of the booth, racking his shotgun in the process.

"Jesus Christ you gave me a heart attack," he said as he lowered the shotgun. Demitri shrugged as she went back over to the counter. Ryou was busy bouncing a hacky sack off the floor while Kotone petted the white cat Demitri had brought with them. Tom rubbed the sleep out of his eyes before he stood and stretched. In the booth next to him, Brice slept, cradling his bow and knife.

"Brice hear anything over the radio last night?" he asked as he walked over to the many glass doors and pulled out an orange Gatorade.

"Dust, echoes, and static is all he told me before he crashed," said Ryou. Tom sloshed the orange liquid around in his mouth, attempting to get some moisture back.

"We didn't eat anything for breakfast," said Kotone as she picked up the cat and walked to the counter. Ryou shot her a look.

"We did to, your just gripping because you didn't get to have your cereal," he said. Kotone stuck out her bottom lip like she was pouting before she returned the cat to Demitri. Tom opened a plastic container and pulled out a few strips of beef jerky. Sticking one in his mouth, he walked over and stuck the other under Brice's nose.

"What's this?" Brice asked groggily as he slowly came to his senses.

"Breakfast," said Tom before he walked back to the counter. Ryou suddenly went tense on the counter. Outside, a small group dressed in camo with AR15s strode in the direction of their vehicles. Tom cursed under his breath as he double-checked his weapons.

"It's the Army!" said Kotone with glee as she raced for the doors. But Tom quickly caught her and dragged her back.

"Stay down and don't make a sound!" he hissed as they began to retreat from the doors.

"Who the hell are these guys?" asked Brice as he knelt next to them behind the counter.

"It's the Silos," said Tom as he peaked over the counter.

"Who are they?" asked Demitri, trying to stay down while keeping her distance from the other guys. Tom shot her a look of bewitherment.

"You've lived here how long and you never heard of the Silos?" he asked. She nodded. Tom sighed before he peaked over the counter again.

"They're a local militia, very short tempers and very racist," he said. Brice peaked over the counter as well.

"Why didn't the cops take care of them?" he asked.

"It's like fighting an insurgency, you can sever the head of the organization but you can never quite stop it out." Outside, the militia members were starting to look over the station wagon and the truck, even opening the doors. Tom sighed before he gripped his shotgun a little tighter.

"Lets play this cool, Brice and I will go outside while you three stay here. If any shooting starts Ice can come out and back us up," he said. Demitri put her hands on her hips, making her look awkward while she squatted.

"Why do we have to stay behind?" she asked.

"Racists, remember?" asked Brice as he and Tom stood, went over the counter and walked outside.

"Hello boys," said Tom as they walked out. Brice strung one of the explosive tipped arrows as they came to a halt. The militia members quickly took aim with their rifles.

"Stay back or we'll shoot!" said one of them. Neither Brice nor Tom so much as twitched.

"Are you infected?" asked another militia member.

"Do we look infected dumbass?" replied Brice. But none of the rifles were lowered.

"Last person who said that turned and we lost half our number," said the one who had first spoken up. Tom searched each one of their faces, and could only find one emotion: fear. He slowly inched towards the shop and the vehicles. Just as he thought, the militia retreated from the vehicles and out onto the street. Brice slowly followed him, keeping his bow at the ready.

"Now!" shouted Tom. Moving quickly, Brice hit the big red button that shutdown the pumps before spinning on the spot and releasing the arrow. The arrow flew between the two pumps and struck the leader. With an almightily explosion, the few surviving members were thrown to the ground. Tom dove under his truck and fired the shotgun, killing one of the members as he tried to stand.

Brice released a normal arrow, striking one of the members that were taking aim at Tom in the eye. In a panicked hurry, another member started to fire randomly at the store, shattering several windows and forcing Brice to dive behind his station wagon. Inside the store, Demitri cried out as bullets struck the counter in front of her.

"Hey! They got bitches inside the store!" called out one of the members. Tom crawled back out from under the truck and sat with his back propped up against the driver's door, facing the shop. A militia member ran up and passed through the truck and the car in his attempt to get to the store. But the shotgun thundered and the man hit the ground, his kneecap shattered by the buckshot. Standing quickly, Tom tossed the empty weapon to the side and scooped up the man's rifle. Brice stood and shot arrow after arrow, covering his friend.

"Jesus, we're fighting Rambo and the Indians!" cried out one of the men.

"Fall back!" called another. But Tom and Brice stood, cutting down the few remaining men with their weapons. Silence cut through the air like a knife, with only the few screams of the wounded to fill it. Amazingly, the only damage the two vehicles had received was a bullet hole in the passenger side of Brice's car. Tom went around the shootout area, using his revolver to put down all but one of the injured men. Slowly, Ryou, Kotone, and Demitri came out of the store.

"You guys ok?" asked Brice as he recovered his arrows. Ryou kept Kotone's eyes covered at all times while this was going on.

"Shaken, but fine," said Demitri. Tom walked over, threw the weapons and ammo he had scavenged into the bed of his truck before he recovered his shotgun and knelt infront of the man who's rife he had taken and kneecap he had destroyed.

"Listen up Tunnel Rat, I know that the world may be ending and all, but I still don't like it when someone wants to take advantage of a woman. So here's what you've won: a free, all expense free trip to hell by the teeth of the undead," he said. Sure enough, several of the infected were advancing down the street. The man's eyes filled with terror when he saw them.

"No, No! Come on man don't do this to someone like." But he was silenced with a scream when Tom gripped his wound. He would never admit it, but he kind of enjoyed the feeling of making someone suffer for doing something bad.

"Say hi too the devil for me," Tom hissed before everyone piled into the vehicles and tore off out of the parking lot. The man looked back at the advancing tide of bodies and began to scream with fear, then pain as they began to tear him apart. Just outside of Osage, Tom motioned for Brice to pull over.

"Do we have a destination?" he asked. Brice nodded slightly.

"There's a safe zone near Lindsborg," came the reply. Tom thought for a moment.

"Alright, better then hanging around here I guess."


	11. Up the Chesapeake

_****_**As always, please review and let me know what you think. **

_**Mouth of Chesapeake Bay, 9:10 AM Central Time. **_

Henry blinked the sleep out of her eyes and frowned for a moment as she looked at the bunk above her. Then her memory came rushing back to her. New York, The Infected, The Helicopter crash, being saved by the crew of the Torpedo Boat. Rolling on her side, she found Seamus sitting with his feet propped up nearby, watching the door while she slept.

"Seamus?" she asked groggily as she propped herself up on an elbow. A single grunt of acknowledgement reached her ears as she managed to sit up completely. She watched as Seamus twirled one of his trench knifes like it was a pistol. Standing, Henry stumbled slightly as the boat shifted beneath her.

"Where are we?" she asked. Seamus, taking a firm grip on the knife, stood and threw the door open. He led the way through a few corridors and up onto the deck. Two F16s passed by low overhead, releasing missiles to strike targets in Norfolk and Virginia Beach.

The boat began to turn lazily to the right, turning north to follow the bay. Walking up out of the hatch behind them, the second in command they had met last night brought up a pair of binoculars and looked up the bay. Almost no boats sat on the water, and what few there where were flaming wrecks.

"We'll head up the bay and drop you off at the safe zone at Scotland and Point Lookout. From there you should be able to hop a chopper and go wherever you want to go," said Reigns as she lowered the binoculars.

"Thank you, for everything you've done," said Henry.

"Save your thanks kid, we're just doing what Uncle Sam pays us to do," she replied. Seamus grunted as he started twirling his knife again. A bullet suddenly pinged off of the knife's blade, jerking the weapon from his grasp and into the water. Turning, he tackled Henry and forced her to the deck as machine gun fire rushed over their heads. Reigns ducked as well and pulled out an MP5 and fired back. A black speedboat had pulled up along the port side of their own craft and just about every crewmember was firing a weapon.

"My knife," Seamus muttered in shock, staring at his hand where the weapon had just been. Reigns threw on her pair of headphones and slid a new clip into the submachine gun.

"Hard to Starboard!" she shouted into the mouthpiece before she fired a blind burst toward the attackers. The _Dawson _listed heavily to the right as it turned and began to run toward the eastern bank of the bay. With a roar, the attacking craft turned and followed suit. Several of the _Dawson_'s came running out of a hatch and started to fire back at their pursuers.

"Why are they attacking us?" asked Henry as she jabbed her elbow into Seamus' ribs a few times, trying to get her off of him.

"Pirates, with the law breaking down they want control of anything they can get their hands on," Reigns said as she brought up her binoculars and studied the coastline.

"Come left to 612 and hold until I say," she said into the mouthpiece and braced against the hull as the boat turned and began to follow the coast to the north. Jumping up, she sprayed the perusing craft before it could manage a turn. She fell down again as bullets bounced off the hull.

"Christ," she muttered as she clutched her shoulder and dropped the submachine gun. Seamus scurried over on his hands and knees and began to inspect her gunshot wound.

"Its not to serious," he said as he began to rap the shoulder up. As the craft began to pull up along side of the _Dawson, _Henry quickly grabbed up the fallen gun and grabbed a fresh clip before taking a stance. As the other boat came along side, she took off at a sprint, using the torpedo launcher as a means to cross the gap between the boats. The clatter of machine gun fire filled the air as she shot her way through the crew.

Seamus watched as she shot her way, like she was some untouchable killing machine. He still found it hard to believe that not even twenty-four hours had passed since he met this girl. But, somehow, he felt a growing attraction to her. He didn't think it was love, only a simple need to protect. Yet even as he watched her now, he wondered if she really did protecting.

A dying scream filled the air as the boat began to turn away from the _Dawson_'s side. Throwing the now empty gun to the side, Henry ran and jumped, managing to just catch the edge of the hull. Seamus stood and hurried over to help her up, but stopped when she pulled herself up.

"Something wrong?" she asked as she slid a new clip into her .45. Reigns pulled herself up slightly and shot a glare at Henry.

"You lost my gun," she said, but grinned slightly to show that she was joking. Henry sat and began to recover he breath. Seamus turned and looked up the bay, watching the black plumbs and yellow bursts of shells against them.

"That where we going?" he asked. Reigns pulled herself to her feet and looked.

"That's it," she muttered as she stumbled to a hatch and went below. Henry stood to her full height as she looked towards the peninsula sticking out into the water. She turned and looked back at Seamus.

"You think there's meds there?" she asked. Seamus sighed as he studied the landscape.

"Don't know," he said simply. With a sudden turn, she rapped her arms around him and held him close, leaving him with his arms held up in a slight awkwardness. Then he noticed that she was crying into his chest. Slowly, he rapped his arms around her and set to reassuring her.

"I've never had much of a family," she said. Seamus gave her a small squeeze of reassurance.

"I'll help you find your meds. And I'll be your family," he said.


	12. Heights of Coronado

_****_**As always, please review and let me know what you think. **

_**Base of Coronado Heights, just north of Lindsborg, Kansas. 9:21 AM Central Time. **_

The Corporal crouched next to large tree with his rifle at the ready, looking up the steep slope of the heights. They had landed in a field between Lindsborg and the heights several hours before, using the cover of darkness to navigate their way to the towering landscape. But now that the cover of darkness was gone, their progress had slowed to almost a crawl.

"Remind me again why we're not just walking straight up the road?" Bee asked as she knelt right next to the Corporal.

"These people may have changed their tactics over the past few hours," came the reply as he started to move forward. Rolling her eyes, Bee grabbed Chris's sidearm from its holster and started to walk up the road. The Corporal started to protest, but stopped in order to catch up to the teen.

"Hey! Is there anyone still alive around here!" she shouted up towards the crest of the hill. A few people and rifle barrels appeared near the crest, watching the newcomers.

"Christ! We got more raiders!" shouted one of the survivors.

"Their too few to be raiders you retard, besides, that one has a military uniform!" shouted another. A man with a shotgun began to walk down the road towards the pair, flanked by two men.

"I see the army received our message," said the man, coming to a halt about six feet away. Both Bee and Chris came to a halt as well. The young Corporal took a moment to look over the safe zone's defenses.

"Not exactly here on orders of the Army," he replied. The man shook his head.

"I thought not, the army doesn't send only two people to reinforce a hill." The man studied the two of them again before turning and motioning for them to follow. Walking back up the hill, the small group entered the compound of the park. No walls surrounded it, just a few men watching each slope of the hill.

"No walls or fences?" Bee asked as they walked through the various objects and made their way to the crown jewel, a stone castle.

"No need, the infected cant climb a steep slope directly. They need some sort of help to do that. So we only put serious guards on the road and stairs," the man replied as he led the way into the castle. Many women and children sat on benches and picnic tables inside, either eating or sleeping. Walking up a set of spiral stairs, they found themselves on the roof. From here, you could see for miles in any direction.

"There's no smoke from the town," Bee pointed out.

"The police managed to maintain order long enough for people to be evacuated. But I fear that the town will belong to the dead soon, and then we will be surrounded," said the man. The Corporal looked around some more before he faced the man.

"What do we have for defenses?" he asked. The man shrugged slightly.

"Only decent shots we got are some Asian cowboy out of Phoenix and an Air Force pilot who went down near Salina," came the reply. The man looked closer at Chris's nametag before he looked out over the ramparts.

"Did you have a wife and kid go down in a chopper around here Corporal?" he asked. Chris nodded, on edge now.

"Well, I don't know if there the relation your looking for, but there's a woman and a child here with the same last name as yours, they're down by the benches if you want a closer look," he said. Chris thanked the man before he started down the stairs, but Bee remained where she was.

"We got flyers incoming," said a young man, standing in the tower with a pair of binoculars to his eyes.

"Thanks Cowboy, pop smoke!" the leader shouted as he brought up his own binoculars. A canister oozing out a thick green smoke was thrown into the center of the hilltop compound as four A-10 Warthogs passed by the ridge, their twin engines roaring as they passed.

Bee watched as they passed, headed for a base up north somewhere.

"Why do you need to do the whole smoke bomb thing?" she asked as the craft faded into the background.

"Ole Uncle Sam tends to bomb a group of people without a marking these days," said the Asian in the tower as he leaned back and put his rifle in his lap. The leader nodded simply as he looked out over the wall again. Below them, the Corporal was hugging his wife and child in a giant bear hug. Bee was touched as she saw the family reunited once again.

"Christ!" said the Asian as he shot to his feet, binoculars still held to his eyes.

"What do ya see Cowboy?" asked the leader, looking between the direction where he was looking and the man in the tower.

"Militia, 'round seventy five or a hundred. They got an M40 recoilless this time," he said. The leader cursed under his breath as he brought up his own binoculars.

"Everyone to shelter! We got militia coming in!" he shouted as he lowered the binoculars. People in the compound began to scramble to what few stone buildings sat on the hill. In the valley below, a thundering clap and a whoosh of smoke sprang up.

The loud whistle of the incoming shell sounded before it made impact. A tree and several branches on the edge of the compound were shattered, raining woodchucks down all around them.

"Run out those fuckin' mortars!" the leader shouted as he crouched slightly. Four men sprinted out into the center of the compound, two of them caring large metal tubes. As the men rushed to get the mortars set up, another thump came from below as the militia fired again.

This time the shell landed further inside the compound, smashing two concrete benches and sending one man flying through the air. The Asian, Cowboy as he was called, brought up his Springfield M21 and took aim. He fired off a few shots at the militia before the mortar teams opened up with their own payload.

"Militia's disengaging, they're falling back toward town," he said. The leader sighed and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"This is the third time they've hit us, and each time they get more accurate," he said. Bee watched as the vehicles headed back for the town.

"How did you manage to get a hold of all this firepower?" she asked. Cowboy leaned back in his chair, looking out over the city.

"The right connections," he said. She looked out over the city as well, with one question burning on her lips.

"Why don't you just level the town?" she asked. The leader laughed and shook his head.

"If only we had the shells."


	13. Return to Allen

_****_**As always, please review and let me know what you think.  
><strong>

_**Just East of Northern Heights High School. 12:00 PM Central Time. **_

Brice watched his rear view mirror in horror as the white ford truck turned tightly, and landed on the passenger side as it flipped. Ryou and Kotone, who had been riding in the seat behind him, watched in horror as well. He slammed on the breaks and everyone quickly got out of the station wagon. The drivers side door on the truck opened and Demitri climbed out, slightly bruised and bloodied, but other then that she was fine.

"You guys alright?" he called as he ran forward slightly. But he stopped when he noticed the crowd of the dead out of the corner of his eye.

"We're fine, just get to Council Grove, we'll meet you there!" came Tom's call from inside the truck. Brice strung an arrow on his bow, but kept it at the ready.

"But what about?"

"Just get to the next damn county! We'll be right behind you!" Tom interrupted as he used the butt of his shotgun to break out the windshield from inside the vehicle. Giving up on trying to help, Brice turned and jogged back to the station wagon, motioning for Ryou and Kotone to do the same.

Tom climbed out through the windshield, just in time to watch the station wagon peel out and smash through the advancing crowd of infected. Leaning the shotgun against the hood, he leaned back into the cab and started to move things around. Demitri jumped down and watched the advancing crowd with her bat at the ready.

"Here," said Tom as he tossed her an olive green pack with his right hand. She quickly tore it open and shot him a look of confusion when she saw the contents.

"The smell is going to be pretty bad," he said as he tried to put on his own gas mask without his injured left arm. She quickly put on her own mask before hurrying over to help him with his own. She froze slightly when she felt her fingers bush against his short brown hair. But Tom ignored it as he grabbed the shotgun.

"Now what?" she asked, her voice muffled by the mask. Tom took a moment to look over the advancing tide of bodies.

"Can you shoot?" he asked, not taking his eyes away from the crowd. Demitri simply nodded, still dumbstruck. Tom handed her an AR15 from the bed of the truck while he kept the shotgun.

"Don't fire unless absolutely necessary," he instructed. They quickly ran off the road, towards the football field. They entered the home stands before Tom hand to sit. Pulling out a handkerchief, he used his good arm to bind the bad limb. This obviously caused him pain as he stopped his foot on the metal floor. Demitri kept watch on the infected, the rifle held at the ready.

"Are you sure about Brice's contact?" she asked. Tom panted some more looked in the direction of the road.

"Only lead we got for the moment, besides she got us past I35," he replied. They watched as the dead began to stumble across the football field in their direction. Tom got himself to his feet and motioned for her to follow. Together, they made their way down from the stands and headed for the school.

Once inside, he held up a hand as a motion for her to halt. Carefully, he raised the mask and sniffed the air. Making a face, he lowered the mask again and coughed slightly.

"They're defiantly still inside," he said. They walked along the hallway, watching every doorway and window. As they approached a corner, they realized that three of the infected stood in their path. Demitri handed the AR back to Tom before she walked towards them, twirling her bat slightly.

With an almightily swing, she severed one of the undead's heads with the swing of her bat. The head landed with a sickening thunk further down the hall, causing its companion to turn and stumble in the direction of the head. Swinging her bat twice, she broke the back and caved in the face.

"Nice," Tom said as he walked up and tossed her back the rifle. Once again they made their ways through the now abandoned halls. Memories of a not so long ago time flooded their minds. It was hard to believe that around twenty-four hours had passed since the outbreak began. Tom's thoughts wandered towards his family, thoughts, which he hurried to banish.

"What?" Demitri asked, noticing Tom actually flinch.

"Huh? Oh, nothing," he said. In truth, he was haunted by what he had seen the last time they were in town, the infected teacher that was his first living victim. And his father, who haunted him more then all the others. But he quickly banished all of this, he was going to survive this, and he was going to help Demitri and as many other as possible do it as well.


	14. Brothers and Blood

_****_**As always, please review and let me know what you think.  
><strong>

**A/N: Sorry about the wait for the upload, internet connection for me is rare these days.  
><strong>

_**Allen Meat Locker, Allen, Kansas. 1PM Central Time. **_

Tom shook his left arm slightly, looking around the deserted street with his shotgun in his right hand. Nearby, Demitri stood with her AR 15 at the ready. She had not really been thrilled with the new addition of another male into the group, however a female had been added as well so she felt like things were balanced out. Kyler Evans stood nearby with his wooden bat over his shoulder and a Colt .45 stuck in the waistband of his jeans. Near Demitri stood Isabella Flores, leaning on her antique cavalry saber. They had encountered Kyler and Isabella in the high school, where Kyler and Tom had nearly killed each other in a stand off.

Personally, Tom was indifferent about Kyler, as they had been on friendly terms in school. Although, that didn't stop them from beating the crap out of each other in a fight every once in a while. Now they had decided to join forces in an effort to survive, although that didn't hold off any sort of fight in the near future.

Tom looked over the barred up door and widows like he was trying to find the best way in while the pain in his arm continued to wear off.

"Hey!" came a shout from behind them. Tom spun around just in time to catch a bullet right in the middle of his left shin, about half way between his ankle and kneecap. He stumbled backwards and fell hard against the door. Demitri leveled her AR 15 at the newcomer while Kyler drew his Colt and Isabella readied her saber.

"Hold God damnit, Jesus I cannot catch a break today," gasped Tom as he tried to sit up. Kyler made his way back to Tom and pulled out a rag before tossing it to Tom, who quickly applied it to the wound.

"That shot should have killed you," said the newcomer in disbelief. The newcomer looked a lot like Tom; only he lacked the facial scar. Kyler helped Tom sit up slightly, who coughed and gasped in pain.

"You never were the best at anatomy Jason," replied Tom tiredly. Kyler shot a glare at the newcomer, his pistol still at the ready.

"Dad always did favor you over me," said Jason, keeping his pistol trained on Demitri. Tom actually managed a laugh before running out of breath.

"You think this mark on my face is a sign of favoritism?" he asked. Jason's face contained a mixture of confusion and anger.

"How could you do it Tom? How could you kill dad? And flirt with this impurity, how?" he asked motioning his gun toward Demitri.

"Because being a raciest little fucker is a thing of the past, new people were coming to Allen and there was nothing you could do about it," Tom replied. Jason stepped back slightly, like he was trying to comprehend something that was to great for his mental power. Then he leveled his pistol at Demitri, determined to kill her. But the crack of Tom's revolver sounded first. Jason cried out as he clutched his shoulder and fell to the ground.

"Nice shot," muttered Kyler as he helped Tom to his feet. Jason squirmed on the ground, moaning in pain as blood flowed out from beneath his fingers. Tom cocked his revolver again as he leaned on Kyler for support, keeping the weapon trained on his brother.

"I made a promise to protect those around me, Jason, and you just brought every walking maggot farm between here and Emporia," he hissed at his brother before he and Kyler began to stumble away. But Demitri and Isabella remained frozen, staring at Jason while he squirmed and bled on the street.

"You're just going to leave him here?" asked Isabella. But Tom ignored her as they made their way to a nearby red Ford Ranger.

"But he's your brother," said Demitri.

"He stopped being my brother the day I got this scar," said Tom before Kyler helped him into the bed of the truck. Both of the girls made their way from the front of the shop to the truck while Kyler climbed onto his Honda Motorcycle.

"Are you sure about this?" asked Demitri as she looked into the bed of the truck at Tom, who popped some pain medication into his mouth.

"As sure as I've ever been, he deserves what he's getting," Tom replied. Demitri sighed before she climbed into the driver's seat and Isabella climbed into the passenger side. The motorcycle and the truck began to roll up the street and away from the scene, but Tom still stared back at his brother while he squirmed on the ground. He would be haunted by guilt for the rest of his life for his actions on this day.

With a simple sigh, he raised the revolver and studied himself, then squeezed the trigger. The bullet struck Jason in the head, instantly putting him out of his misery.

"Better then you deserve," he muttered as he lowered the revolver into his lap and rested his head against the back window of the cab. Looking up into the clear blue sky, he said a silent prayer that he and his friends would live through this ordeal unharmed.


	15. The Girl with the Purple Tattoo

_****_**As always, please review and let me know what you think. **

**A/N: I know this is a little short, but there will be longer ones with more action soon.  
><strong>

_**Cheyenne Mountain Command Room, 1:45PM Central Time. **_

"All the final testing and calibrations have been completed, Triple 6 Delta will go into effect tomorrow at 8PM Eastern Standard Time. Targets will be as follows: Moscow, Paris, Berlin, Rome, Tehran, New Delhi, Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Seoul, Pyongyang, and other various cities and areas with large populations," said the Five Star General.

"We are to fire on our allies sir?" asked another General that sat nearby.

"There is no choice, we cannot fire on our own cites, so we must get other nations to fire on our own."

_**Science Hill High School. Johnson City, Tennessee. 3:00 PM Central Time. **_

Seamus and Henry stepped out of the news helicopter that had transported them here from the safe zone at Scotland. And from the looks of things, they wouldn't be here much longer anyway. Like a gray tide, the infected were making there towards the refugee station at Science Hill High School.

The city itself was being torn apart by napalm and bomb runs as the National Guard and Army retreated slowly towards the school from all sides. Seamus looked around and sighed, watching as orange flashes of napalm lit up the black pillars of smoke.

"The road goes on and on," he muttered to himself before focusing on their surroundings. Making his way to a nearby medical tent, he showed a doctor Henry's medication bottle.

"Yeah, we have some of that, but it'll cost you to get a bottle," the Doctor said, holding out his hand with a greedy smile on his face. Seamus suddenly twisted the doctor's arm, which broke with a sicking snap before he was slammed down on a utensil tray. In a flash, his knife appeared in his hand and was pressed against the man's throat.

"These days, blood's more valuable then gold," Seamus said as blood began to leak out from around the blade. The doctor made gasping noises as he slapped Seamus' hand a few times. Finally he gave up and pointed to a nearby medical cabinet. Henry hurried to the cabinet and began to tear through it. When she came up with the right bottle, Seamus released the doctor.

"I'll see that you two are hung for this," he said, rubbing his neck where the blade had been pressed. With a sudden swing, Seamus' fist made contact with the doctor's face, knocking the man out before he hit the floor.

"Maybe we could have avoided that," she said, rubbing her jaw as she saw the bruises start to appear on the doctor's face. Seamus shrugged slightly as he returned his knife to its hidden place on his body.

A young woman, about Seamus' age, stepped out of the near by shadows, startling the pair. She looked strange with her left eye being blue and her right eye being green. A strange purple pentagon tattoo sat in the middle of her forehead and grey soot lined her straight black hair like snow. She made a strange croaking nose as she attempted to talk, causing Henry to nearly fire her pistol at the newcomer. But Seamus held up his hand, stopping her.

Slowly, causally, he weaved his fingers and hands through the shapes of sigh language. The young woman's eyes went wide before she began to sigh back.

"Her name is Alice Rutherford, she wants to come with us," he translated simply while signing.

"Why, didn't she just see us work over a doctor for some meds?" asked Henry before she popped a pill into her mouth and downed it with some water from a canteen. Seamus remained silent for a moment as he exchanged signs with Alice.

"Cause we got the best chance," said Seamus. Henry remained silent for a moment as she looked around the refugee station.

"And where does she want to go?" she asked. Seamus went back to signing for a moment.

"Cambridge, Ohio," he said. Henry threw her hands up slightly, a sign of giving up.

"And just how does she plan on getting there? Sprout wings and fly?" she asked. Alice's eyes suddenly went wide. She seemed very excited as she began to hurry away, motioning for the two of them to follow. They hurried though the tents before Alice ripped a cover off of a purple and emerald green motorcycles. Seamus actually laughed as he looked over the green motorcycle.

Alice gathered up some supplies and hurried over while Seamus climbed onto the motorcycle. With a grin, he started the bike, and it rumbled to life.

"Mount up," he simply.


	16. Second Night 1

_****_**As always, please review and let me know what you think.  
><strong>

**A/N. Just like last time, the next three chapters will cover the group's survival through the night.  
><strong>

_**Coronado Heights Safe Zone. 6:00PM Central Time. **_

"Are you One Hundred Percent sure about this code?" asked the leader of the group. He, Chris, Geoffrey or Cowboy, and John McFarland all stood around a picnic table away from everyone else.

"They don't call Triple 6 Delta the doomsday order for nothing," replied John as he adjusted his glasses. The leader leaned forward on the table and rubbed his hands together.

"I don't want this to get out to anyone beyond everyone standing here, the last thing we need to do is tell them that they'll have to deal with the militia, the walking dead, and a nuclear holocaust," he said.

"But for how long? If what flyboy here says is correct then we only got about twenty four hours before the birds launch and all hell breaks loose," said Cowboy.

"Where is the nearest bomb shelter?" asked Chris.

"In Lindsborg. But it's surrounded by militia, if necessary we can dig out our own underneath the castle," replied the leader.

"I highly doubt we can build a proper shelter in twenty four hours," said John. Chris sighed and put his hands on top of his head. He had only just found his family that morning, and now he has twenty-four hours until the government started Armageddon.

"We got more problems," said Cowboy as he looked up. He held a smartphone in his hands, cradling it like it was a newborn baby.

"What is it Cowboy?" asked the leader. They crowded around to look at the screen of the phone. The image of a radar was present, along with the blues, greens, yellows, oranges, and reds of a thunderstorm.

"Lucky for us, the cell towers haven't gone down yet. Unlucky for us, we got a super cell brewing down between Pratt and Great Bend, and its headed this way," he said. The leader let out a small curse before he began to issue orders to get ready for the storm.

Chris walked away and headed for the castle. Inside, he found Bee talking with his wife while his daughter played a short distance away. Looking up, his daughter spotted him as he sat his rifle on a picnic table.

"Daddy!" she cried with glee as she ran over and jumped into his arms. Chris laughed as he squeezed his daughter tightly. For a moment, it made him forget everything that was happening out there. But it was only for a moment. He knew that the storm was coming, and after that came the horrors of nuclear fire. Only one day left, before the end really came. Civilization would really collapse, if it hadn't already.

An hour later, he sat on top of the tower, watching the sun disappear behind the boiling black clouds of the approaching storm. He was lost in thought, wondering what the day after tomorrow would look like.

"It wont be as bad as you think," said Bee, suddenly appearing next to him.

"Huh?"

"The nukes. Almost all the launch codes for Europe are held by the U.N., and the others are more then likely dealing with the own problems to be to worried about launching a massive retaliation," she said. Chris looked slightly confused.

"How did you?"

"Know what you guys were talking about? An old trick I picked up," she said with a slight grin. Chris sighed slightly and looked at the storm again. Lightning danced through the clouds, lighting them up with a bluish white light.

"You think we'll make it?" he asked. Bee patted his shoulder once.

"We'll make it," she replied.


	17. Second Night 2

_****_**As always, please review and let me know what you think.  
><strong>

**A/N. A great thanks to Otakuburts who helped me write this chapter.  
><strong>

_**East Side Bar and Grill. Council Grove, Kansas. 7:30PM. **_

"Stop, Stop!" shouted Tom as he pounded on the side of the truck. Demitri slammed on the breaks, causing the truck to swerve slightly. Kyler hit the breaks on his motorcycle, causing the bike to swing around and knock over a few of the dead nearby. Isabella jumped out of the cab and started to swing her saber, cutting down two of the infected. Thunder rumbled in the sky as the thunderstorm approached. Brice and Ryou threw the double doors on the bar side of the low building open, both of them motioning for them to hurry up and get inside.

Kyler shut down his bike before leaning it against the building and hurrying over to help Tom out of the truck. Tom gritted his teeth as he and Kyler began to stumble towards the doors, followed by Demitri and Isabella.

"What the hell happened?" asked Brice as they stumbled inside.

"Nice to see you too, Brice," said Tom tiredly as he sat in a chair not far from the door. Brice leaned against the twenty first century version of a jukebox that sat next to the door while Ryou closed the doors and barred them. Kotone ran over and looked over Tom, who was far more battered and bruised then when she had last seen him. Brice made his way over to the short round table that Tom was next to as he sat his injured leg up on another chair.

"Now, care to tell what happened?" he asked as he sat two shot glasses down along with a bottle of Jack Daniels. Across the room, Demitri and the others were setting up a place to sleep for the night.

"We got ambushed while savaging for supplies in Allen," he replied while taking his shot glass and tapping it against Brice's before they both drank.

"Ambushed by who? Last time I saw that place it belonged to the dead," said Brice as he filled the glasses again.

"My brother of all people," Tom replied. Brice stopped and looked at him.

"Your brother shot you?" He asked. Tom shrugged slightly and downed his shot.

"Eh, I shot back," he said. Brice chuckled and shook his head.

"You got a messed up family man," he said.

"Hey Brice, this informant you've been in contact with, how do you know them? How can we be sure we can trust them?" asked Demitri.  
>Brice just smirked as he made his way over to the bar while lifting a new glass of whiskey to his lips, leaving Tom to start cleaning his guns.<p>

"Scout," he replied.

"Huh?" came the reply. Brice chuckled slightly.

"She is a scout, not that I asked her to. As to how you can trust her, I trust her. That should be enough." and he was quiet again, seemingly lost in thought, remembering. But before any one could ask anything else he spoke, "but I guess that you'd like something more, huh?"  
>Everyone just nodded, in reply. Even a shadow in the rafters seemed to take slightly more interest in this.<p>

"Well, get comfortable cause this ain't a short story, though it's not a particularly long story either," as he shifted to get comfortable, "as you know I started my little road trip a little more then two years ago, about four months into it I decided to spend some time in Seattle. No real reason, just felt like it, like everything else in my life before this happened. Any way, on y second day there I was wandering around the city, I noticed a fight in one of the alley ways, normally I would have just called the cops and tried to get a description of the ones involved but again my gut told me to investigate." Brice said, closing his eyes, leaning his head back, "and to this day I am forever grateful to an old friend and his advice to never go anywhere unarmed, cause when I got there what I saw boiled my blood," as he said this everyone started listening more intently as Brice hardly ever got mad, even when facing the undead he was usually calm to the point of creepy.

"In the ally were three guys laughing tearing the clothes off a girl that couldn't be more than sixteen," as he said that he smiled ruefully, the others were in various stats of angry at that, " ya, laughing cause this girl was trying to yell for help, but couldn't, not cause anything was stopin' her, she just couldn't. When I saw this I snapped a little, took the mag-light from my coat pocket I smacked the guy closest to me, up side the head. Didn't knock him out, just dazed, but that was enough for the time being. The other two caught off guard, where dealt with just as quick. The guy on her right got a fist to the face with the weight of the mag-light behind it, a crunch told me he was currently in a lot of pain, then a swipe to the temple put him down. The last guy came around just before his buddy hit the pavement, and struck me in the kidney, well I'm just glad mag-lights are as durable as they are cause after knocking down three full grown men it still worked to this day."

"What happened with the first guy, Brice?" asked Kotone, excited by the story. Brice just smiled.

"Give me a second and I'll tell ya. Well as I was catching my breath, the first guy was able to gather his baring and held me at knifepoint, not a grate place to be by the way. He was off course and ranting about how 'he was gonna hurt me for getting in the way of his first lay in months', blahblahblah, a few fowl words about my mother, and so forth, then he screamed, like a little girl. He dropped like a bag of rocks, writhing on the ground, with a knife handle sticking out of his back. Seems the girl could defend herself just got overpowered before she could arm herself."

Every one was kind of awed at that, "wasn't she scared?"

"Course she was scared, but she's tough, now can I continue?"Kotone blushed and curled into her brother, wanting more of the story.

"As I was looking at him, I couldn't help but say the first thing that came to my mind, 'ain't fun getting penetrated against your will is it?'"

Everyone groaned at that.

"God damn you got some corny moments," said Tom from across the room, chuckling slightly. Brice replied by flipping him the bird.

"As I said I couldn't help it, any way she had the same reaction you had, though she did hug me, grabbed my hand and dragged me until we were several blocks away. She tried to say thank you but it just came out as a gasp of noise. That's when I noticed she had a large dark scar on her throat. When she remembered that she couldn't speak she grabbed my hand and shook it and mouthed 'thank you', she then tried to walk away but I followed offering to buy her a change of clothes, she tried to decline mouthing ' I'm not a charity case, I can look after myself', then I tried a nether tactic, I said 'what if I asked you to be my tour guide, then I get a unique view of the city, and you get new clothes, how's that sound?' She took a few moments to think about it and agreed. After that I asked her to show me to the better clothing stores around the area, after that I had a thought, but I needed to get to my car, I asked her to follow me until about a block away, didn't want to scare her after the attack, when I came back when I came back she almost looked surprised to see me come back. You see what I needed from my car was a full body trench coat, originally I had picked it up for my sister as a been away gift, but I figured this girl could use it more, and I said as much. For a sec it seamed like she had tears in her eyes and she might refuse again, but she put it on. As we were walking away I asked what her name was, she didn't want to give me one, so I said 'if you don't give me one I'll just have to make one up,' she was still not given me one, 'alright how about Alice?' still no response, 'so Alice, how far does this rabbit hole go?' her upper body shook, I smirked, got a giggle. After that little episode we went around the city and I lived on the streets with her, for about a week, that's one of the reasons I'm as good at urban tracking as I am, trying to keep yourself safe in a city at night dose that to ya."  
>Brice stopped and took a sip of his drink.<p>

"After during that week we got close and we confided in each other, me the reasons for my travels, her why shes on the streets. And since that is her story to tell, I'll just say she had a bad home life and she was better off on the streets. But as the week progressed our feelings changed, but at the time nether of us could except them, I couldn't because I didn't want to be a crutch after a trauma, and she because  
>she felt she wasn't good enough."<p>

"Why wouldn't she fell like she was good enough? She was saved by a shining knight," cried out the little girl.

"Don't always believe the shining knight story kid," said Kyler as he sat next to Tom. Tom swatted him on the kneecap with a slight glare, but still offered him a drink before going back to cleaning.

"Because, before I had meet her, she could talk, then she refused the wrong people. A pimp wanted to make her one of his girls, she said no and he didn't take kindly to that. Remember at that time she was like fourteen of fifteen and couldn't fight. So him and his thugs grabbed her dragged her inside and raped her, still wants to kill the guys but she can't remember names or what they look like. While they were doing this one of them cut her throat to silence her. And it did, hence the scar. That was a hard story for me to hear the first time, now I know there's nothing I can do so I let it go. Anyway the day before I left I got her a parting gift, her cell phone, unlimited data and texting, after that I sprung for a hotel."  
>Another pause, another sip.<p>

"Well?" asked Demitri.

"Well what? I got in my bed she got in hers; some time in the night she crawled in with me latched on and cried. Nothing happened. When I woke up she wasn't there and I had a text message, it read, 'I'm sorry I left without a proper good buy, but I couldn't stand waiting you go and you would have asked me to come with you. I can't do that now, but maybe some day I'd like that. I'm going on a trip to so maybe we'll meet again on the road. Your Alice.' I texted her back saying I'd keep her updated, she said she'd do the same, and this is where we are."  
>Every one was awed slightly, and the figure hiding in the roof was crying.<p>

"And that's it?" asked Isabella.

"Yep, I plan to have a life with her after this is all over, but she's stubborn and it will take some doing but it'll be worth it." Tom snorted slightly.

"Ya, I'm the one who's messed up," he said.

Later that night when everyone went to sleep the shadow dropped from its hiding place, silent as a mouse. Walked towards Brice knife in either hand, when she was a foot away, "its not nice to sneak up on people," the words were quiet when they left his mouth, and the shadow was unperturbed as it set its knives down on the bar and sat down next to him.

"There not bad kids, I wish you'd take a chance and meet them, 'my Alice'."  
>Alice brought out her phone, 'you know why I can't, thank you for not telling them everything.'<p>

"Couldn't, not my story. Just told them what was part of mine," Brice sighed, and wrapped an arm around her, "what I said earlier was the truth, when were safe I want to share my life with you."

As Alice began typing a response, Brice stopped her.

" I know what your gonna say, but I don't care if you think your damaged goods, I love you for you. I also wont ask you to join us today cause I know you won't, just know the invitation is always open. Now lets get some sleep, you need to be gone in two hours if you want to avoid being seen." He pulled her close as she began to cry.

After almost an hour, Alice finally broke the hug and bid Brice good night as she slipped out.

Outside, thunder rumbled and lightning flashed as the storm tore through the town. Across the room, Brice was shocked to see a flame from a lighter spring up and light a cigarette.

"How long have you been awake?" asked Brice as he made his way over to Tom.

"Long enough, I would have given you some privacy but its not like I can go anywhere in a hurry," came the reply as he motioned to his leg. Brice thanked God for the darkness hide the fact that he was blushing.

"She'll need to set aside her problems and join up with us soon Brice, cause it might all come crashing down tomorrow," he said.


	18. Second Night 3

_****_**As always, please review and let me know what you think. **

_**East of Point Pleasant. Ohio/West Virginia line. 12:00 AM Central Time. Z Day +3 **_

The roar of the motorcycle's engine filled Seamus' ears as they roared up the highway, headed deeper into West Virginia. Henry clung to him like a newborn kitten as they approached high speeds, dodging the abandoned cars and occasional infected individual. He knew that they had to stop soon to sleep, or run the risk of being a wreck. As they approached a barn, he gave a single to Alice to pull over and head for the barn.

Pulling the bike off the road, he gently nudged Henry in order to wake her up.

"Huh? Where are we?" she asked in a drowsy voice.

"West Virginia," came the reply as the bikes came to a halt. The barn looked old and run down, but not enough to be considered abandoned. The bikes were shut down, but their headlights were kept lit, shining on the door. Seamus walked forward slightly, drawing his knife in the process. Stepping to the right of the door, he knocked on the wood with the knife itself, listening for anything that might stir inside.

Finally, he reached out and pulled the door open, confidant that nothing was inside. Alice led the bikes inside while he made sure that Henry was able to find the doorway itself.

"To think that a few days ago I was visiting my grandmother in New York. Now I'm camping out in a barn in West Virginia with a mute and a hot Irishman," she said as she stumbled into the barn, not fully awake. Seamus turned and led the remaining bike into the barn before closing the door and following the two girls into the hayloft.

"I'll take first watch," he said as he sat himself on a crate near the ladder. Behind him, both Alice and Henry made nests for themselves out of the hay to sleep in. Hearing the distinctive click of a gun behind him, Seamus glanced back to see Henry start to clean her weapon. He allowed himself a small smile, although he used the shadows to hide the fact that he was doing so.

The only light in the barn now came from the flashlight that Henry was using to help clean her gun. Moonlight shone in through the window near the ladder. The only sound through out the whole barn was the occasional clap of thunder in the distance, possible shelling from the U.S. Army. Deep down, he silently hoped that it was indeed the thunder from artillery, as it would be a sign that the Army was still in the fight.

"You should get some sleep," whispered Henry, sitting next to him on the crate. The flashlight had been switched off, leaving only the moon to be the main source of light. Behind them, the sound of soft breathing filled the air as Alice slept.

"You need it more," he replied, softer then her.

"I've already gotten my sleep for the night," she said. Seamus snorted, earning a small giggle from her.

"You can't fight if your not well rested," she added. He sighed, knowing she had him beat. But he wasn't ready to give up just yet. Rather he twirled his knife some more while he used his left foot to clear away the hay over a patch in the floor.

"I want to thank you again for everything you've done. If it wasn't for you, id be another walking corpse in New York right now," she said. Seamus grunted slightly in acknowledgment, not really liking the fact that she was thanking him. It was practically his duty to protect those around him.

Suddenly, Henry moved in, and kissed him. While their lips remained locked, Seamus dropped his knife in surprise, which stuck in the exposed floor. After a moment, she pulled away and began to go back and lay down, embarrassed for having done said action. But his hand on her forearm stopped her. Gently, he pulled her back down and rapped her in a hug.

She melted into his arms, grateful that she had someone to hold her. For an hour or so he held her, not willing to let her go. But he finally did, no matter how much he didn't want to. He picked up his blade before taking her hand and placing it in hers, trusting her with his most prized object. Gently, he brought her hand up with it curled around the hilt and lightly kissed her fingers before releasing her hand, bidding her a silent goodnight.

As he walked over to a soft spot in the hay to sleep, part of him silently kicked the other part for allowing this to happen. This was an overrun zone; a single mistake out here could easily result in death. But the part being kicked won out.

He knew that he had to protect this girl, as she was all he had left.


	19. A New Scout

_****_**As always please review and let me know what you think.  
><strong>

**A/N: I know this is short, but it'll be better in the future.  
><strong>

_**Coronado Heights Safe Zone. 5:00 AM Central Time. Zday +3. **_

Bee sat in the upper tower of the castle, looking east toward the rising sun. She was exhausted, having spent a good portion of the night taking care of many of the young children on the Heights. Behind her, thunder rumbled as more storm clouds passed to the north and west.

"Nice way to start Armageddon huh?" asked Chris as he climbed the ladder into the tower. His rifle was on its sling over his shoulder. She nodded, thinking of her home that was so far away.

"We may need to fight our way into the town later today, do you think you can handle a weapon?" he asked. Bee nodded simply, looking over the fields and roads around the town below.

"Corporal, you may want to see this," came the call of the leader from below. Patting Bee once on the shoulder, he turned and climbed back down to the main ramparts. Climbing down the spiral stairs, he spotted his family sitting in the corner, eating a breakfast of bread and bacon.

A large shortwave radio sat in the corner, hidden by a hastily constructed shower curtain barrier. John sat in front of the bulky device with a large pair of headphones over his ears while Geoffrey slept on a cot next to the radio.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"Cowboy picked up a signal broadcasting out of Moscow last night. They're requesting information over what's going on here in the U.S," the leader replied, motioning for the Corporal to enter the confined space.

"So what do we tell them?" he asked.

"Tell them to move into the Metro if they haven't already," came Bee's voice from behind him. She leaned against the wall with her arms crossed.

"And why would that be?" the leader asked.

"Well if what you said about the missiles is true, then that's one of best places to be. The Moscow Metro is the largest air raid shelter in Europe, if not the world," she replied. The leader shot a look at Chris.

"How did she find out about that?" he asked. A simple shrug served as the Corporal's response.

"Living on the streets teaches you certain skills," Bee said, grinning slightly. The leader rubbed his temples, trying to work out the extra stress that had just dropped down on him.

"Maybe we can use her," came Geoffrey's voice from the corner. Although he appeared to be sleeping, a small smirk on his mouth proved that he was defiantly awake.

"And just what do you suggest Cowboy?" asked Chris. The young man sat up and swung his legs over the side of the cot.

"Street Urchins can move quickly through urban environments without being seen, and let's face it we don't know what exactly is going on inside the town," he replied. Bee looked between everyone present, trying to figure out what they were planning.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"We mean congratulations Coleman, you just got promoted to scout," the leader replied before he turned and walked out of the radio area. Chris patted her on the shoulder before walking out himself. Thunder rumbled outside as another storm threatened to break loose.

Walking out into the main compound, Bee looked toward the town. Men where running out with mortar tubes while Cowboy ran up with a dirt bike.

"Get in, get out, and don't get yourself killed," he said as he started the bike. Deep thumps sounded as the mortars began to fire.


	20. The Situation so Far

_****_**As always, please review and let me know what you think. **

**A/N: Well Chapter 20 is here, thank you all for sticking with me this far. I hope that you'll continue on the journey a little farther.  
><strong>

_**East Side Bar and Grill, Council Grove, Kansas. 7:00 AM Central Time. **_

Kotone sat on the bar, using her finger to trace the various local brands that had been seared into the wood. Tom still slept in his corner while Brice lay on a pool table, curled up next to his bow. The smell of food filled the air as Demitri and Kyler stood in the kitchen cooking breakfast. In the dancing area to the back of the building, Ryou moved through the various forms of sword practice. Isabella stood looking at the various songs that where contained within the jukebox next to the door.

From outside came a bone-rattling explosion that knocked Tom to the floor, jolting him and the others awake. Everyone except for Brice scrambled out the door onto the street. The scream of jet engines filled the air as two fighters rushed overhead. To the west, a pillar of dust and smoke rose into the air, evident that a few bombs had just gone off. With a curse under his breath, Tom motioned for Kyler to jump on his bike and inspect the damage.

"Couldn't it be dangerous, sending him off like that?" asked Isabella. Tom drew and fired his revolver at a nearby infected, still leaning on one crutch.

"The more we know about the road ahead of us, the better off we are," said Ryou, resheathing his sword. Tom nodded in agreement as Kyler's bike roared to life and tore off up the street. He hobbled back into the bar where he grabbed the cue ball off of the nearest pool table and tossed it at the sleeping Brice.

The young man jerked awake, grabbing for his bow as he sat up.

"You sleep any deeper and I'm gonna have Ice lop off your head just to be sure you don't try to bite anyone," Tom said as he hobbled to the bar and climbed behind it. Brice mumbled a few choice curse words as he rolled off of the table. After a few moments, Demitri brought out the hastily prepared food for all of them present.

"So what's the plan?" asked Brice as he and Ryou sat their food on the bar and began to eat.

"Still the same unless Kyler comes back with new info," said Tom as he came up from behind the bar with a pump action .22 rifle, looking down the sight as he leaned on his crutch.

"Didn't you say there was a gun store on the other side of the river?" asked Ryou.

"There was the last time I was here, and it still should be there provided the Air Force didn't just level the place," Tom replied.

"What river?" asked Demitri. With a sigh, Tom sat the rifle down on the bar before giving himself a face palm.

"You really need to brush up on your local geography. The Neosho River, in the old days the town was the only river crossing for miles, but the water went down since a dam was built upstream from here. If water wasn't being let out when the Outbreak started then we don't have to worry about it, but if it was…"

"We're swimming," Ryou finished. Tom nodded as he started to eat as well. The door suddenly flew open as Kyler stepped inside. However he failed to announce himself and almost paid for it in a hail of gunfire.

"All bridges over the river have been knocked out," he reported, setting his bat on top of the jukebox before digging in to his food.

"How high's the water?" asked Brice. Kyler responded by holding his hand over his head, indicating that the river was running deep. With a low curse word, Brice set his empty plate back and the bar and sat skulking. Ryou sent a glare at him for cursing in front of his sister, but remained silent so as to not start a fight.

"So how do we get over the river?" asked Isabella.

"We could cross on the dam," Kyler suggested, finally swallowing his food. Tom shook his head slightly.

"No time, crossing here is our only option," he said.

"Last I checked you're not exactly in condition to swim," said Brice, motioning to his crutch. Leaning back on chair, Tom put his chin in his palm as he thought.

"We can try to float over," said Kotone, speaking up to offer her idea. Brice shrugged slightly at the idea, although he knew it was probably the end of the line for his beloved station wagon.

"The cars would have to be left behind, the banks on both sides are too steep," said Kyler, putting a voice to the concern. Tom suddenly snapped his fingers with an idea.

"Was the foot bridge still intact?" he asked. Kyler nodded as he had food still in his mouth.

"Yes but its very week from the bombs," he replied. Tom hobbled forward to lean on the bar.

"Then that's got to be our way over. There are paths just wide enough to get a vehicle on that lead down the banks to the bridge, and there's almost no better way over then a regular bridge," he said. Brice sighed, looking down at the brands in the bar.

"And if the bridge gives out, what then?" he asked. Tom grinned slightly.

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it," he replied.


	21. Cambridge

_****_**As always, please review and let me know what you think. **

**A/N: I apologise for the long wait, things have been hectic for me recently. I hope to have more out soon.  
><strong>

_**Cambridge Barricade, Cambridge, Ohio. 10:12 AM Central Time. **_

"I've already told you, you thick skulled bastard, we're not infected!" Henry shouted at the top of her lungs. The Corporal lowered his M4 and jammed it in her gut, silencing her immediately.

"No one is allowed inside the barricade, infected or no," came the distorted voice from behind the gas mask. Henry felt Seamus' hand appear on her shoulder, tugging her away from the guards. Slowly, she allowed herself to be turned and pulled away from the guards.

She looked up at him and could tell by the look in his eyes he had a plan.

"Keep the one that has passed on, leave the others behind," he said, leaving Henry confused by his cryptic meaning. Rather then question him, she allowed herself to be taken back to the motorcycles. Alice stood with the bikes, waiting to hear the plan.

"Can you ride?" he asked, motioning to the bikes. Henry simply stared at the bike for a few moments before she answered.

"I can try, there's a first time for everything," she replied. Turning, Seamus signed something to Alice before he began to trot up the highway toward an abandoned, empty car-carrying semi. Henry watched as Alice climbed onto her own bike and start it before doing the same herself.

Climbing up into the cab of the truck, Seamus took a moment to study the barricade. Aside from two parallel concrete barricades that lined the road and topped with razor wire, at least forty men and two M1 Abrams sat between the barricades.

Taking a breath, he turned the keys that had been left in the ignition and felt the truck roar to life. Putting it into gear, he began to drive the truck straight at the barricade. As the speedometer climbed above sixty miles an hour, he blew the horn for an emotional effect.

Seamus felt his heart catch in his throat as he watched both tank turrets begin to turn in his direction. Rather then panic, he tightened his grip on the wheel and smashed the accelerator to the floor. He felt the thump of the first tank gun firing, and heard the shell whistle overhead.

A yellow orange flame belched from the second tank gun, and again he heard the whistle of the shell as it sailed overhead. Opening his door, Seamus looked down to see Henry riding next to the truck, right where he wanted her to be. Taking another second to check the barricade again, he said a silent prayer before he leapt from the cab and onto the bike.

Seamus quickly grabbed the handlebars, keeping them upright in the process and slowing them down. Together, he and Henry watched as one of the tanks fired again, blowing the truck's cab wide open. But it was to late to stop the metal monster as the flaming wreckage slammed into the barricade at nearly ninety miles an hour.

Taking over control of the bike, Seamus gunned it again as he angled the bike toward the ramp for the cars on the trailer.

"Wait a minute! Are you insane?" Henry shouted over the wind, right before they hit the ramp. With almost an expertise level, Seamus guided the bike up the back of the flaming truck before ramping it to clear the last of the barricade.

With a massive bump, the bike landed and bounced for a moment before Seamus gunned it again. Henry looked back toward the barricade. She saw that Alice had managed to clear the barricade as well and was keeping up with them. Then the big gun of one of the Abrams fired again.

For a moment, Alice was riding right next to them, then suddenly the shell detonated right next to her. Alice struggled to maintain control of the bike before she finally lost control. As the bike fell on its side, it launched her into the air. It was if time stood still as Henry watched her flap like a rag doll, fear evident in her eyes.

Henry looked away and squeezed her eyes shut so she didn't have to see Alice land face first on the pavement with a sickening thump. Seamus slammed on the breaks and spun the bike around, looking back toward where Alice had landed.

He gripped Henry's wrist when she tried to dismount from the bike and go help the fallen girl.

"She's dead already," he said, a hint of sorrow evident in his voice. For a moment, they ignored the soldiers and stared at their fallen friend. Henry then raised her pistol and returned fire at the soldiers while Seamus gunned it again, leaving the soldiers behind and heading into Cambridge.


	22. Into the Fray

_****_**As always, please review and let me know what you think.  
><strong>

_**Cheyenne Mountain Command Room. 10:57 AM Central Time. **_

"All the final reports are in. All Silos are active and ready to fire," reported a General. The Five Star leaned forward and sighed, running his fingers through his graying hair.

"What's the situation on the mainland?" he asked.

"Boston, New York, Baltimore, and D.C. have all gone dark. We still maintain a few holdouts east of the Mississippi but as a majority of the eastern half of the country has been lost. We are still maintaining bombing runs in the Midwest in an effort to slow down the eastern hordes, but we've still got the hordes from the Los Angeles area, San Francisco, and Seattle barking west of the Rockies," came the report.

The General sighed again, knowing how bleak their situation was. As he feared, there was no way they could avoid the launch.

_**Downtown Lindsborg. 11:00 AM Central Time. **_

Bee scrabbled up the rusting ladder and made her way across the rooftop in a crouched motion. Coming to a halt on the edge of the roof, she looked down at the square below. Several militia members sat around, mainly in a drunken fashion. Moving along the edge of the building, she studied the various comings and goings of the militia.

At one point, she turned away from an alleyway, as two men were having their way with a woman below. Turning her head to the north, she looked up at the heights. She had spent the past several hours studying the town, now she was convinced that with a few well-placed shells, the town could be reclaimed.

Pulling out a small walkie-talkie that Cowboy had slipped her, Bee took her hair band and rapped it around the talk button. With a simple motion, she tossed it in the corner of the roof overlooking the square before she began to run. Deep thumps filled the air, causing her to pick up the pace.

Suddenly, an explosion ripped through the square, shattering windows and sending several militia members sprawling. Several more shells landed, breaking open buildings and causing surviving militia to run for cover.

With a bounding leap, she cleared the alleyway and landed on the next building, not so much as even stopping to recover. The whistles of the shells flying overhead only caused her to run faster. Then almost as soon as it started, the shelling stopped.

Bee stopped and looked back in the direction of the square. Fires burned and smoke poured from the shattered buildings. Glass and brick lined the street as several militia members ran past below, heading to the area of the shelling. Crouching, she continued along the roofs until she reached the area where she had left the bike behind. The bike roared to life as she turned the key, drawing attention to her from nearby militia members.

"Hey you! Stop!" shouted one of the men as he began to trot towards her. But rather then sit still; Bee gunned it, bashing the man in the face with her crowbar as she raced past. The high-pitched whine of the bike echoed off of the buildings around her as she shot out onto the main street and began to ride north.

"Get that bitch!" shouted a militia member. Bee ducked as gunfire erupted and bullets whizzed overhead. Looking up, she noticed a roadblock with several militia members standing behind it, all of them aiming their weapons at her. Her fingers smashed the handbrake into her palm, causing her to skid the bike as she turned right.

She was off the street now, riding right through the Bethany College campus. Bullets pinged off of the trees around her as she rode, causing her to lean lower in the seat as she rode.

Suddenly, she was clear of the buildings, riding on the road toward the safety of the Heights. Then, over the whine of the bike, she heard the deeper roar of motorcycles. Glancing back, she saw three men chasing her.

"Keep on her, the boss wants her head on a spike!" shouted the lead man before they gunned it, gaining on Bee. Just as one of the men were getting ready to reach out and grab her, his face imploded into a red crater. His body tumbled from the bike, causing another one of the men to wreck.

"You think I would leave you completely by your lonesome?" Cowboy asked himself as fired his M21 again, killing the remaining man. Bee gunned the bike as she raced up the sides of the heights. Reaching the top of the heights, she hopped off the bike and ran for the castle.

Inside, the main group of leaders was racing to analyze what was going on. Only Cowboy was missing, as he was still on top of the tower.

"The shelter is untouched and relatively safe. A majority of the militia is scattered and confused, trying to figure out what's going on," Bee reported, pointing to the fallout shelter's location on a map of the town. John and Chris studied the area on the map.

"Is there a chance of retaliation?" Chris finally asked. The leader shook his head.

"If their leader is dead I highly doubt it," he said.

"Incoming!" came Cowboy's shout from outside, followed closely by the explosion of a shell landing. Dust fell from the ceiling as they braced. Up in the tower, Cowboy watched as two more recoilless rifles fired. He dropped his rifle and cleared the stone railing as a shell shattered the section of tower where he had just stood.

With a grunt, he pulled himself back up and over before he picked up his fallen rifle. He quickly lined up a shot and fired, killing one of the gunners.

"Cowboy! Take out the leader," shouted John from below as he ran out into the compound yard. Cowboy complied by lining up another shot and fired again.

"Now what do we do?" asked Chris as he watched the chaos unfold below. The leader simply drew a bowie knife and a pistol.

"What we should have done in the first place. Charge!" came the reply as the thumb of the recoilless rifles sounded again.


	23. Crossing that Bridge

_****_**As always, please review and let me know what you think  
><strong>

_**Santa Fe Liquor, Council Grove Kansas. 11:25 AM Central Time. **_

"Didn't we decide that the sooner we got over the river the better?" asked Brice as he leaned in the door of the shop, his bow strung with a new arrow. Behind the check out counter, Tom sat on a stool with his leg propped up on the counter. He leaned back slightly as reached behind him and grabbed a hand-sized bottle of whiskey off the shelf.

"Not my fault these people move at the speed of a glacier," he grunted as he unscrewed the cap with his teeth. Setting the bottle on the counter, Tom began to undo the bandages on his leg. Brice shot a glance back toward him before returning his attention to the outside.

"Can you do that any quieter?" he asked. Tom finished taking off the bandages before taking a swig of the whiskey.

"You try getting shot in the leg and getting blood poisoning, see if you don't make a little noise," he replied bitterly before he poured a small amount of the whiskey over his leg. Instantly, Tom yelled out, gritting his teeth and slamming his foot into the back of the counter over and over again.

"God damnit, mother fucking cockbiting ass touching monkey ball sucking shitcakes," he cursed before taking another swig of the whiskey. Brice fought back a laugh at the sting of curses.

"I take it that stung a little?" he asked.

"Fuck you and all your ancestors!" Kyler entered through the back of the shop, taking care to go around the still cursing Tom and preceded to stand next to Brice.

"I thought we were suppose to be pulling out, not sitting here drinking," he said. Brice looked back again before he spoke.

"Oh Tom's just a little whiny what with his leg and all," he said. Tom responded by grabbing a large bottle of Jack Daniels by the neck and hurling it with all his might end over end. Both Brice and Kyler dived out of the way, avoiding the bottle as it smashed into the doorframe.

"I'd say we've messed with him enough," said Ryou as he emerged from a large cooler, guiding his little sister before him. Tom muttered something under his breath, but returned to putting some fresh bandages on his leg.

"So are we ready to move out?" asked Kyler as he leaned up against a wall. Brice looked back toward Tom, who was finishing his bandages.

"As soon as Tom gets finished there we'll be ready," he said. As he spoke, Tom finished with the bandages before he grabbed up his crutch and shotgun. Half stumbling, he began to hobble, pushing pasted Brice and Kyler without a word. He hobbled to the truck, keeping his shotgun pressed to his shoulder with his free hand.

"Lets go people, we still got things to do, places to go, former people to kill," he called before he tossed the shotgun in the bed of the truck. Demitri and Isabella hurried out from the bar while Brice and the others came from the liquor store. Brice and Ryou helped Tom into the bed of the truck while the others piled into either Brice's station wagon or the cab of the truck.

"Are you going to be ok?" asked Brice as Tom settled down.

"Aside from the fact that I'm sitting in a puddle of water, we need to find a doctor damn soon," he said. A look of puzzlement came over his face for his moment before Tom motioned to his leg.

"You weren't joking about the blood poisoning were you," he said. Tom shook his head before gripping Brice's wrist.

"Keep quite as long as you can," he said. Brice nodded before he turned away and entered his own vehicle. Kyler took the lead on his bike, leading the way to the only river crossing left. Tom loaded the last of his .22 rounds into his new rifle before chocking it and holding it up.

The small convoy composed of Kyler leading, followed by Brice's station wagon, and then the ranger. They pasted a hardware store, a grocery store, a small car dealership, and two gas stations before arriving at a small concrete sidewalk that led down the riverbank. Below them, the Neosho River gurgled with deep and fast-moving water.

With the convoy coming to a halt, both Brice and Kyler leapt out of their vehicles and set to work prying metal grates rails out of the bridge and kicking them off. Ryou drew his sword and hurried across the bridge, taking a defensive stance when he got there. On the dike above the convoy, several infected appeared. Out of the tree line.

"Brice! Incoming!" shouted Tom as he took aim with the rifle and fired. One of the infected crumbled, a bullet between its eyes. The others suddenly began to tumble down the steep hillside, bouncing end over end.

"That's it, lets go! Lets go!" shouted Brice as they finished with the grates and began to sprint back to the vehicles. Tom threw down his rifle and picked up the shotgun before blasting the nearest infected, which were struggling to regain their footing.

Leaping onto his bike, Kyler slammed the throttle and gunned his bike across the bridge. Both Demitri and Brice began to follow with the vehicles, although slower due to how wide vehicles were and the unstableness of the bridge.

"What's that noise?" asked Kotone as she looked around in the back of the station wagon. A section of bridge under the rear tires of the ranger suddenly gave out, freezing the truck in place. Demitri stomped on the gas again and again but to no avail. Brice pulled the station wagon off the bridge before jumping out and running back to the ranger.

Tom stood to the best of his ability and threw the shotgun to Brice, followed by the rifle. Demitri and Isabella scrambled to get out of the cab. The sound of metal grinding on concrete filled the air as the truck slid slightly.

"Tom, you gotta jump!" shouted Brice over the roar of the water below. The bridge beneath the ranger and Brice buckled, causing Brice to brace his knees.

Get outa here Brice! Its not worth both our lives," said Tom. Brice slowly backed away. Just as he did, the bridge beneath the ranger finally gave way, sending both it and Tom toppling into the roaring water below.


End file.
